He Who Must Not Be Changed
by Captain Snuffles
Summary: Humor. Romance. Uberly sarcastic fic. Adult content. Action (in two senses of the word). Please read and review!
1. New Faces

Disclaimer: I take no credit for the work laid out by JK Rowling. Obviously. Considering this is a fanfiction site. Lol.

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  Draco Malfoy wasn't the most pleasant of people. He wasn't even a nice person to his own friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Nothing was going to change him. And who would go for it if he did change?

    He sat outside Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor, waiting for the two goons to show up. Usually you could see them from a mile away, even in a large crowd, considering they were the two biggest and most gorilla-like boys their age.

    Draco sat; twirling his spoon in his carmel apple flavored ice cream. This is the only form of twirling you will ever see Draco doing. He's just that sort of manly person. There _is _no soft side. Curse you if you thought there was. There isn't.

   And this lack of friends was starting to get to him. He must look like a fool sitting there by himself. With ice cream no less. Everyone knows it is cooler to eat ice cream with friends than it is to eat it alone. He must look like such a loser.

    With a heavy frustrated sigh he stood up. The Quidditch Supplies store was just around the bend, and Draco needed new booties. His had holes in them by the big toe. This simply will not do, considering Draco has the reputation for having the best and shiniest things.

    He passed the display window on the way to the door but something caught his eye. He turned back and stared discreetly into the window. There was a girl inside the store who was looking at a Nimbus 2001. It was next to the Quidditch booties. How oddly convenient for him. He could gain some composure, go into the store, grab a pair of booties and then introduce himself. That seemed like a good plan. He dusted off the front of his robes and checked his reflection in the glass window. His hair was the same as it always was; a fierce white blonde and slicked back with at least three tubes of gel. Why change your appearance when you already know you're the best?

    The bells on the door clanged as he opened it. Somehow it bothered him. He'd rather go through the door unnoticed and sort of sneak up on the girl. He'd be sly. Yeah. Sly. Well he lucked out, because she didn't turn to see who had come into the store. 

   She was running her hand along the Nimbus 2001. It made Draco shiver involuntarily. He approached the booties and thought fast. Maybe he should grab a few sizes bigger than he really was. He grinned and picked up a 14; he was really a twelve, but hey! Maybe his feet would miraculously grow two sizes in time for Quidditch season. He was only thinking ahead…

   "That's my stick," he said proudly.

  The girl spun around and looked at him, her eyes wide. "Excuse me?"  
  "My broomstick." He pointed to the Nimbus 2001. "I got it in my second year. A bit more temperamental than most other brooms."

  She tucked a lock of straight, shiny chestnut hair behind one of her ears. Her hair was a little past her shoulders and looked soft to the touch. "Are you assuming that the broom might be too much for me?"

  Damnit. Smooth move, Malfoy. "No, that wasn't what I meant. I meant that—"

  But she wasn't looking at him anymore. Her eyes were back on the Nimbus, and Draco didn't even have time enough to remember what color they were. Green? Brown? He needed to make another stab at conversation. Who wants to look like a dweeb in front of such a gorgeous girl?

  "So, are you attending Hogwarts this year?" That seemed like a normal question.

  She nodded, and the hair that had been pushed behind her ears fell into her face again. She kept her eyes on the Nimbus though, still. "Yeah, I am. I got all of my books today. I was on my way to get robes fitted, but I saw this shop and had to come in."

  Draco was ready to say that she shouldn't bother getting robes, but he knew he'd get smacked. Why wasn't she acknowledging him? He wasn't a bad looking guy. One of the best looking at Hogwarts in his own opinion. 

  "What school are you coming from?" He asked, leaning his arm against the wall.

  "Oh, I didn't come from one. I was home schooled," she said, finally looking at him.

  Draco furrowed his brow. "Home school?"

  She nodded and it almost looked like she had smiled. But she turned away again and stared at the displays on the walls as she walked. Draco followed. Of course. Then he realized that he hadn't yet asked her what her name was. He caught up and put a hand on her shoulder, hoping she'd turn around. 

  When she did he asked her, "Will you tell me your name?"

  She smiled. "I'm Abigail Lynch. Everyone just calls me Abby."

  Lynch. Lynch. Why did that name sound familiar…?

  She sighed at the look on his face. He looked as though he were trying to figure something out. "Aidan Lynch's sister, if you were wondering. Who're you, anyways?"

  He'd sort of hoped she'd say it in more of an upbeat tone. She seemed like she just wanted to figure out who was bothering her and then just walk along and hope to get lost in a thick crowd. 

  "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Ahh. The famous introduction. When did he _not _introduce himself like this?

  "Nice to meet you." She smiled when she said it this time. Draco grinned. "Well I should really be going. I need to get my robes fitted, and I need to meet my father in fifteen minutes. I'll see you around, I guess?" Her eyebrows were raised inquisitively. 

  Draco nodded. He wasn't exactly sure what to say, and he didn't want to ruin his so very shady mystique. Right. As if he hadn't made himself into a total hound dog over this girl. This really pretty girl. This girl who was the sister of a famous Irish Quidditch player. This girl who he figured might be in his league…__


	2. Challenges

Disclaimer: Again, nothing is mine really. Obviously.

  Platform 9 and ¾ was packed as usual. The flurry of students were pushing themselves onto the Hogwarts Express, pushing past Draco as if he weren't there. This upset him to the point where he had to growl at an innocent looking little first year. 

  He probably would have continued doing this, but again, someone caught his eye. It was Abby, and she was making her way onto the train. The older man with her must have been her father. He had dark brown hair but seemed to be balding. For a moment, Draco considered following her. Then he remembered he should wait for Crabbe and Goyle. Where were they anyway? He hadn't seen them all summer. 

  Then he saw them. Three of them. Wait.. three? Milicent Bulstrode? Since when did she hang out with them? Then Draco noticed the revolting googly eyes Milicent was making towards Goyle. This was completely disgusting. Draco wasn't going to sit in a compartment with two lovesick gorillas. And Crabbe.

  He ducked out of view and crouched along behind a group of parents. He made his way towards an entrance onto the train and passed a group of kids hugging their parents goodbye. Draco stowed his trunk and got on the train. Alone. What did you expect? A kiss from his daddy? Nope. Daddy is in Azkaban. Stupid Potter.

  He walked along the train's corridor. Full compartment. Full compartment. Weasley and Potter's compartment. No way in hell he'd join them. Especially without his two thuggish cronies to save his arse. He continued down the compartment, not bothering to toy with Potter. Full compartment. Full compartment. Abby's compartment. Hmm.

  Draco grinned and turned back. "Mind if I sit here?"

  Abby looked up. "Not at all. Go ahead."

  Draco plopped on the seat across from her and stared out the window. Most of the students had now gotten onto the train. Draco checked his watch. It was 10:53. Almost time. Something that Draco had been wondering finally came to mind again.

  "Have you been Sorted yet? Er— do you know what Sorting is?" he asked, unsure.

  Abby chuckled. "Yeah, I know what it is. But no, I haven't."

  "Any idea where you, ehm, want to be Sorted into?" he asked again, secretly hoping her answer would be Slytherin. This year might be more interesting than he thought…

  She tucked her hair behind her ear. It looked redder than it had in Diagon Alley. "I'm not so sure. Although Hufflepuff doesn't really appeal to me. Neither does Ravenclaw."

  Draco grinned. He watched as she stared out the window. Her hair looked longer too…

  "Are you, by any chance, a Metamorphmagus?" He shifted in his seat and leaned forward a bit.

  She grinned mysteriously. "Yeah, I am actually. You noticed quickly. I didn't even change my appearance that much."

  Uh oh. Down boy. Don't make it so obvious that you've been looking her over like a dog. Pfft. As if he hasn't practically announced it already.

  "It just looks longer is all. So, what do you think about Slytherin?" Changing the subject might be good.

  Abby shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. I take it that's your house?" She pointed to his robes which were lying beside him.

  Draco nodded, attempting a friendly… smirk. Didn't work. Instead he decided to stare out the window. The train was beginning to move, so he'd have a change of scenery. Right. This was his seventh time leaving this station. What was new to look at?

  What if she ended up in Gryffindor? Would he just.. give up? He'd been looking forward to having a little challenge in his last year at Hogwarts.

  "I heard about your father," she said, still looking out of the window. Her green eyes looked even brighter with the red tint of her hair. 

  If she was about to insult his father he might have to throw his shoe at her. Okay, maybe something lighter than a shoe…

  "I'm sorry about that," she grinned again after she spoke. It was always mysterious smile.

  "Don't be. I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing him soon." He matched her grin with his own trademark smirk. "So maybe you will be in Slytherin, after all.." he added daringly.

  She chuckled softly. "I guess we'll see. Although, even if I ended up in Hufflepuff, it wouldn't shape my future." She raised an eyebrow at the disbelieving look on Draco's face.

  "I guess we'll see," he said.

  Secretly, he was hoping that she'd just end up in Slytherin and make things easier.

The train was finally pulling to a stop. Draco had already changed and so had Abby. Her robes had the Hogwarts crest sewn onto them. Part of him didn't want them to get off the train. Then she'd have to be Sorted. Maybe if he just grabbed her and started kissing her, they could stay on the train. She wouldn't be a Slytherin, but she wouldn't be anything else either. Just Abby. Just extremely mysterious, attractive, perfectly-curved Abby. They could have sex on the train. Right. Draco's hopes were a bit out there. But hey, he was male. He couldn't help himself. Harry Potter might even have the same problems…

  Finally he stepped off of the train. He groaned as he walked towards the horseless carriages. He heard a small "Ohp!" from behind him, and turned around to see Abby getting helped up by… Potter. Saint Potter. She must have tripped when she was stepping off the train. Draco could've helped her up. He just.. wasn't there at the time. Right. As if anyone could see Draco helping someone up.

  He cursed quietly to himself and climbed into a carriage. Crabbe, Goyle, and Milicent had followed him shortly after. Draco hated the fact that they'd finally found him. He had to endure a short ride to Hogwarts castle that seemed like an eternity of watching Animal Planet.

  When he finally got out of the carriage he lost the three animals again in the crowd. Draco watched as Abby stepped out of a carriage behind his. Professor McGonagall was striding quickly up to her. He watched as Abby nodded and followed the elderly woman into the castle and down a different corridor. Perhaps she was being sorted privately?

  Draco decided to endure the Welcoming Feast sitting with the two big goons, one of which was making odd noises next to Milicent. The sound of Goyle giggling is enough to give someone nightmares.

  Draco's appetite wasn't very big. He spent the entire time moving his food around with his fork, and listening to the other Slytherins making jokes about Gryffindors.  They were lame compared to his own. Which means they were pretty bad.

  Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall opened. McGonagall walked in.. accompanied by… nobody. Abby wasn't there. The brief and quiet inquisition from the students disappeared when they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But Draco was wondering where she was. Did the professors think it best for her to eat dinner in McGonagall's office? Maybe he'd see her in the morning, in his common room. Or perhaps sitting at the same table at breakfast. Or maybe she'd be in a different house. Maybe she'd be in Gryffindor.


	3. Regretted Excuses

Disclaimer: Again, none of Jk's characters are mine. Derrr.

  Draco woke up in his dark dorm. He couldn't tell what time it was by the window light, because, well, there were no windows in the dungeon rooms. He looked at his watch and groaned. He was going to have his breakfast cut short if he didn't get up soon. 

  He rolled out of his four-poster bed and looked around in the darkness. Everyone else's beds were empty. They hadn't bothered to wake him up. Stupid gits. Oh well, he'd have to go to breakfast by himself. He wasn't complaining. 

  The boys' lavatory was down the hall. Draco went to wash up and stick his head in a bowl of gel. Only not really, but who could tell the difference? While washing his face he remembered the night before. Abby hadn't turned up in the common room. Maybe she had returned before the rest of them and went up to bed? Or maybe she came in later than everyone else. Either way, he hadn't seen her. What if she wasn't in Slytherin at all? He'd been pretty sure it suited her. And it would make things much easier for him. He wouldn't have the conscience of having tried to seduce a Gryffindor.. or worse, a Hufflepuff. He went back to his dormitory to change into his school robes, grinning at the Slytherin crest sewn onto the left side. He'd always known he'd be in Slytherin. He wouldn't fit in anywhere else. 

  The Great Hall was filled with students. Thank God it was Draco's last year. He couldn't stand these prissy little first years who were all stalking Harry Potter. So he's defeated the Dark Lord a few times. What was the big deal?

  He'd almost forgot about what had been plaguing him all morning. There she was. Abby Lynch. Her hair was a dark brown now, and wavy, down to her waist. She was sitting at the Gryffindor table. She was a _Gryffindor_. Fuck. Draco felt like an idiot now. What made him think that she'd be in Slytherin? The mysteriousness? The fact that she apologized about his father being in Azkaban? What would Draco do now? Ignoring her seemed like the plan, but it already seemed hard to do. Part of him wanted to strut over to her table, grab her, lie her down on the table, and _easy boy_. 

  Instead he sat down at the Slytherin table beside Crabbe, Goyle, and… ew, Milicent.  He had to endure their pointless grunts of conversation, and worked hard not to look over at the Gryffindor table. Temptation finally took over him. He had to look. She was facing him, but not looking at him. It seemed as though Ginny Weasley was pleading with her about something. Finally Abby shrugged and smiled. Then she closed her eyes tightly as though thinking hard about something. Instantly her wavy, dark brown locks changed into tendrils of curly red hair a bit past her shoulders. Draco liked the brown better. She must have read his mind or something; because she changed it back to the light brown it had been when he first met her. It only made Draco want to walk over there more. He shook his head and instead, focused his attention on his eggs. Eggs were a lot less interesting than Abby.

  Classes were over for the first day, and Draco was looking sulky. He hadn't had any classes with Gryffindors yet, and usually he'd be glad about this. Not today though. Draco was annoyed that she was in the same house as Potter. He should just give up now. Why would he want something that Dirty Harry wanted? After dinner he waited for Crabbe, Goyle, and Milicent to leave before getting up himself. He had pretended to be very interested in a book about the fall of the Dark Arts. 

  _I wonder if they'll write a Rise of the Dark Arts book now… _he thought to himself. Draco looked up from his book. Abby was surrounded by a few Gryffindors who were getting up. She was shaking her head and remaining at her table. It looked as though she were telling them to go ahead to the common room without her. If Draco waited any longer, they'd be the only two students left in the Hall. He finally decided it was time to leave.

  He walked into the Entrance Hall and was making his way to a dark corridor that led to the Slytherin common room. Someone touched his shoulder from behind him. When he turned around he had to hide his surprise.

  "Hullo. I haven't seen you for a while," said Abby, who had a different sort of smile on her face now.

  "I've had a lot of things to do for classes," he lied. 

  Abby chuckled softly. "It's only the first day."

  Draco shrugged. "I know. But my professors ask a lot of me." What was he _talking _about?

  Abby nodded her head. "Oh, I see. Well, I guess you're busy now? I'm just going to go up to the common room then." She was leaving? Now? Why was she leaving? She should stay. She _had _to stay.

 "I was sort of hoping that there was someone who might want to fly around on the Quidditch pitch with me. I just remembered you going into that Quidditch shop and thought you might be interested enough to join me." She gave a small smile. "I'll see you around then."

  "You know there are Prefects all patrolling outside," he blurted out chastely. He must sound like such a dolt. 

  She grinned. "That makes it riskier. More fun." 

  One side of Draco's mouth rose up a little higher than the other in a smile that was very close to a smirk. He wished he hadn't come up with that stupid excuse for not seeing her as much lately. Now instead of flying around on broomsticks with her, he'd be… going to bed. How lame. She walked away and he sighed. Shaking himself of that feeling he got in his chest wasn't easy to do. He was attracted to this girl. The first girl he'd been attracted to since he was in his third year. And the lucky candidate that year had been Pansy. He wasn't even so sure that was attraction though. Perhaps temporary insanity. Pansy Parkinson was about the ugliest girl at Hogwarts. Except for maybe Eloise Midgen and Milicent Bulstrode. 

  He realized now that he was standing alone in the Entrance Hall. Daydreaming. He shook his head and made his way into the corridor leading to the common room. Hang in there, Malfoy, there will be other opportunities.


	4. Accidentally On Purpose?

 How bloody stupid could he have been? Homework? What was _wrong _with him? He'd been beating himself up all night, and it was causing him to lose sleep. Lose sleep? Over a girl? What the hell had this come to? Finally he drifted off to sleep, but only to be awoken three hours later by Goyle who was grunting loudly in his sleep. Draco's watch read 8:00; Far too early to actually get out of bed. He stuffed his head under his pillow and drowned out the noise of Goyle's grunts, before finally falling back into a fragile sleep.

--

"Separating Potion. You will get your ingredients, they are listed on the board along with directions." Snape said nothing other than that before sitting down behind his gloomy desk, and perhaps playing with sock puppets named Sevvylulu and Lilykins. Hem hem.

  This potion was coming to Draco naturally. His potion was the right color, texture, and the smoke was the right thickness. What a piece of Cauldron Cake.

  Ten minutes later, Snape was up and about, walking amongst the students and giving out grades. He scowled and said nothing about Hermione Granger's perfect potion, and.. he did the same when he reached Abby's cauldron. Some kind of dislike of Snape stirred in the pit of Draco's stomach at that moment.

  "Good work, Mr. Malfoy, as always," Snape said with a sneer.

   Draco said nothing. He didn't even nod. He felt a pair of eyes on him, and when he turned, he saw Abby's green eyes staring at him from across the room. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail. Strands of hair had all fallen out and cradled her face. Draco pretended like it didn't faze him.

  "Copy down the homework and you are dismissed," Snape said, waving a hand carelessly. No doubt he wanted to get back to his haunting thoughts of Lily in that short green dress back in 7th year…

  "Draco."

  He turned around immediately. He heard that voice and couldn't help himself.

  "Hi," Abby said when he was facing her.

  "Hello." His voice didn't sound like his own. It was caught somewhere in his chest and he kicked himself mentally for being such a bloke.

  "Errm.. I'm not sure.. why I stopped you," she said, and a pretty smile crept onto her face.

  Draco was getting mad at himself for wanting to smile back. You're an arse. Be an arse. "Oh."

  The smile disappeared a little. "Do you mind holding these for a moment?" She held out two heavy looking books.

  Surely she didn't think he'd actually carry her books for her, did she? She did. He took them.

  "Erm.. so you're in Gryffindor." Small talk. What in bloody hell was wrong with him?

  "Uhh.. yes. It's not too bad. I'm thinking about taking a stab at their Quidditch team." She was rummaging through her bag, and Draco realized he was holding her books for a reason. She wasn't just flirting like Pansy would. He kind of liked it.

  Abby pulled out a little case and opened it. Inside was a pair of glasses that she pushed onto her face. She took her books from him immediately after she'd placed the glasses case back into her bag. "Thank you, Draco."

  He loved hearing his voice when she spoke it. It sounded so different. Not that she was saying it in any particular way.. it just sounded sweeter. Better. He imagined what it would be like for her to purr his name into his ear.

  His daydreaming didn't even allow him to realize that she'd walked away already. He blinked and turned around to go after her.

  "Wait a second," he said, again in a voice much unlike his own. 

  Abby turned around and faced him, hugging her books innocently to her chest, her eyes searching his, and it felt so strange to him that he had to focus on something other than her. "Yes?"

  "I ehm.. was just wondering whether you'd still like to have that fly. You know, after dinner maybe?" Kick. Kick. Kick. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

  "Ohh.. well, ehm. I really can't." Abby had turned him down?

  "Oh. Right. Nevermind then." Draco was about to walk away.

  "_Before_ dinner maybe?"

  Draco did a double take and stared at her. He couldn't help but grin. Dinner was in an hour. "All right, then. Meet you at the pitch in a few minutes?"

  Abby nodded, and Draco turned around again to leave. The last class of the day had gone by slowly, but as he walked back to the Slytherin common room, he felt a considerably light feeling in his stomach. He muttered the words "Worthy Wizards" to a blank stone wall and gained entrance to the large furnished dungeon. He just had to get his broomstick and then he could leave.

  The wind blew into Draco's face. Blasted weather was going to mess up his hair. …Not likely. That head could withstand a hurricane, six earthquakes, and a water spout without a single hair out of place. Thus the basis of it's appeal. To a Ken doll.

  Abby was already there. She wasn't in her uniform as she had been earlier. Had he really expected her to fly in a skirt? …Okay, so maybe his hopes were a little high. But the attire now wasn't at all to be complained about. She wore a white shirt and what seemed to be men's swimming trunks. They were baggy on her, but her thin legs were just as desirable this way than any other.

  Draco chuckled. "You're really not one to impress, are you?"

  Abby smiled and began walking the rest of the way to the pitch. "I  haven't anyone to impress. And honestly, why ruin my school clothes? I haven't any Quidditch robes… yet."

  "Yet, eh? You seem pretty confident that you'll get on the team." Draco grinned, trying not to think that it was the Gryffindor team she'd be on rather than his own.

  She sighed dreamily at her broomstick. Draco noticed it was a very old Comet model. "Just hopeful."

  Draco mounted his broomstick in unison with Abby. "I'll race you to that goalpost over there," she said smiling, and he smirked.

  "All right. Count of three? One.. two.."

  "Three!"

  They kicked off at the same time, each lying flat against their broomsticks. Draco concentrated. He isn't the type to _let someone else win. Abby was concentrating just as hard, and was neck and neck with him, but her broomstick had just about reached its maximum speed, and she was practically lying flat on the handle. It was then that Draco remembered who her brother was. Aidan Lynch. Of course she was a good flyer. But.. wouldn't she be able to afford a better broomstick? But still.. he'd never seen someone on such an old Comet model do so well against a Nimbus 2001. He had to admit to himself that he was impressed. Finally he reached the goal post, and pulled his broomstick to a short halt. Abby got there only two seconds later._

  "Not bad, Lynch," Draco said, and blinking at himself afterward. _Not bad, Lynch?_

  Abby smiled and took her hands off the handle of her broomstick, lifting her upper body upright and tightening her ponytail. "Thanks. You handle yourself well on that Nimbus," she said nodding once at it.

  Draco was fighting the impulse to agree with her. "What position do you like to play?"

  Abby grinned. "Beater."

  Draco raised both eyebrows. "Not what I'd expected."

  Abby laughed. The sound was sweet. "That's what a lot of people say." She shrugged. "I guess it's the whole masculine 'I am male and I like to hit things with bats' stereotype. Girls can be just as fierce."

  Draco had no objection to this statement. He was lost in wondering what other things Abby could do while being fierce.

  "You look like a Seeker," she said when he was quiet.

  "Why's that?" Draco asked, wondering how someone could give off the air of being a Seeker.

  She flew closer to him, her hands resting above her knees rather than on her broomstick; steering, rather, with her body. This obviously brought more irrelevant thoughts to Draco's mind. "Well, two things. One is that you seem more like the type to sit around and watch until it's totally necessary for you to do your job."

  "Hey, I resent that! The Seeker's job is very important!" Was she saying that to be a Seeker you didn't need talent?

  "And second," she said, drowning him out, "Is the way you concentrate when you fly. You have something in front of you and you're determined to get to it without so much as a distraction. It's a good quality in Quidditch. In a lot of things actually."

  Before Draco could say anything, her hands had gone back onto her broomstick and she dove to the ground, hoped onto the grass and opened the chest housing the three kinds of Quidditch balls. She let out the bludgers first, then the Snitch. Then she grabbed a bat, mounted her broom, and sped back towards him.

  "Okay, you're choice. I can either keep the bludgers _away_ from you. Or I can hit them towards you." Abby smiled sweetly at this and Draco chuckled.

  "Well.. I'd rather you keep them away from me. I'll be hungry by the time dinner comes, and I'd rather not be in the hospital wing drinking potion instead of eating in the Great Hall.

  Abby laughed softly. "All right." She sped off in the other direction, and hit a bludger that   surely would have come close to Draco.

  The Snitch wasn't too far off. Draco could see it glittering in the dying sunlight. He sped after it, and watched as it took flight in front of him, leading him through a bunch of swerves and loops. When his hand grasped it he grinned and slowed down. Then he threw it upward and let it have its head start. Draco could hear the whirring of a bludger, and quickly ducked so it missed his head, but it was now hurtling towards Abby who was getting ready to hit the other bludger. She didn't see the one come at her, and probably wouldn't know it was there until it hit her.

  Draco sped up quickly, hoping that he'd be able to push her out of the way. Getting hit by bludgers was very painful, and he didn't think it right for her to break bones in her first week at Hogwarts. He was close to the ground and he reached Abby just in time, slamming into the side of her and barely missing the headlong bludger. But Draco's momentum carried him farther than he'd anticipated, and he flew off of his own broom, and over Abby. They both fell off of her broomstick and skidded onto the ground a good 10 feet. Draco was on top of Abby, and their faces were less than an inch apart. 

  Abby groaned. "You all right?"

  "Fine," Draco said blankly. "You?"

  "I'm good," she said, in almost a tone like Draco's.

  They lied there for a moment. Draco was unmistakably smack dab right on top of her. To anyone from a short distance away, this would look rather strange.

  "Could you.." Abby started.

  "Yeah. Sorry." Draco got up and rubbed his wrist. He hadn't noticed right away, but it felt a bit sore. 

  Abby sat up and looked at Draco silently. "Thanks for that."

  "For what? Oh.. well.. I might of done more damage than if I had done nothing about the bludger. You knew what you were doing."

  She got up slowly and ignored the grass and dirt smeared all along her backside. "No. I'd have been in a hell of a lot more pain. I hadn't a clue that one was behind me."

  Draco smiled a little. He wasn't good with stuff like this. He couldn't say 'you're welcome' without feeling like he didn't know what the meaning of the words were.

  "We should probably go back though. I can't imagine going to dinner like this." She looked down at herself.

  Draco grinned. "All right. Let me just find that Snitch and we can put it back."

  Abby extended her hand and opened her fingers. The Snitch flapped its wings slowly in her outstretched palm. 

  "How did you—"

  "It just flew into my hand when you hit me. Guess that being a Seeker isn't too terrible." Abby grinned.

  Draco laughed. "Shut up, you. That was just luck. The Snitch likes you or something."

  Abby grinned. "Either that or it doesn't like you."

  They packed away the balls and made their way back to the castle. Abby was swinging her broomstick in her left hand.

  "You know, I'm probably going to need to get myself a new broom. I've had this for ages. It's my first, actually. I just feel strange replacing it." She stared at it sadly.

  "You ride it well," Draco said. And Abby's head snapped towards him and she laughed. "Didn't mean it in that sense.." he muttered.

  So solves the mystery of the broom. Yet.. no clue how to solve the mystery that was Abigail Lynch.


	5. Foolish Games

Disclaimer: I disclaim. And I love my Queen Smuffles. She is precious. She thinks you should review this, yes she does. Precioussss. She loves toasters. She won't give me hers though. *twitch* It is such a lovely toaster. It is called Higgins. He wears frilly yellow…napkins. Yes. He does. Now read this. And review. Because if you don't and some psychopath ends up on your lawn screaming: "AYAYAYAYA" It will NOT be my fault. Please do not call the police. Queen Smuffles has a killer shovel and garden hose. She calls them the Malfoy's. She hides them in her blouse. Anyway. READ ON!

------

"Who was that girl you were with? Not that Gryffindor with the freaky changing hair, right?" Pansy had one of her scrawny pale legs pulled up by her flat chest and pushed against the edge of the table. She ripped off a piece of her roll with her uneven teeth. It was by far the most disgusting way Draco had ever watched someone eat bread. 

"Does it matter?" he asked, bringing a piece of chicken to his lips.

"I knew it. For fuck's sake, Draco. Why in bloody hell are you wasting your time around a Gryffindor?" Pansy's jaw was lower than normal as she stared at him.

"Nothing's wrong with me. It was nothing. I just heard something about her being easy is all." Draco thought it sounded like him..

Pansy grinned her ugly-toothed smile. "Ahh. So like you. Anything for a quick fuck. You know, why don't you just bang some Slytherin instead?" She shifted toward him a little.

Draco rolled his eyes. "No one said anything about quick." He took a long swing of pumkin juice and placed the glass back down.

Pansy unfolded her leg and somehow managed to make her plate of food fly off the table and onto Draco. His pants were soaked with the sauce that was dousing her sickening slab of steak. Bits of carrot and potato were on Draco's head. How the hell had she managed to cause such destruction by moving that stickly little leg?

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Draco!" she squealed.

"Fuck. I already took a shower before I came here." Draco shook his dirty head. He tried to drown out the quiet reverberations of laughter around the Great Hall. He caught glimpse of Potter laughing along with Weasley. Stupid asses. Doubt they'd be laughing if it happened to one of them. Idiots. Morons. Gits. 

He walked out of the Great Hall and made his way down the darkening corridor. He wasn't humiliated, but he smelled bad. He hated smelling bad. Slick-haired wanton sex gods don't smell bad.

"Hey Malfoy!"

"Can't it wait? Pansy, I'm not in the mood to discuss prissy ass Gryffindors with you at the moment and I need a bloody shower and yeah, you definately aren't Pansy," he said when he'd turned around and realized that he was face to face with Abby.

She didn't say anything. Oh god. Draco wanted her to say something and break the blank look she was giving him. What the hell had he done? There went all his chances out the fucking window.

"Not important," she said finally. She turned around and walked away.

Fuck. Great job, Malfoy. You really got her wanting you now. He contemplated silently about whether he should follow her or not. He sighed and turned around, continuing to walk back to his common room.

He unbottoned his stained oxford shirt and threw it onto the ground. Once he'd unbuckled his belt and unzipped his dirty pants, he kicked them off and removed his boxers. The water from the shower was warm and as he stepped under the jets he massaged the food out of his hair. Of course, it took a while to get out some of that gel and allow the water to soften his hair. 

When he was fully showered he turned off the showerhead and patted himself with a towel. Draco wrapped the towel around his waist. Water droplets adourned his chest, and taught muscles showed under his flawless tight skin.

"How many times a day do you shower, man?" Goyle asked as Draco ran his hand through his wet hair. It fell to the sides of his face.

"Not as many as you, Goyle," he answered, and Goyle nodded and left to get into a shower himself.

Draco got to his dormitory and opened the door. None of his roomates were in the room. But Abby was. Wait-- what?!

"How the fuck did you--"

"Not important," she said.

"You said that before. It must be important if you have to break into the Slytherin common room and then hide in my dormitory," Draco sneered.

"Calm down, Malfoy. I didn't break anything. And I'm here to tell you something completely different." Abby sat down on his bed and leaned back on her hands. "I've come to the attention that you consider me a prissy Gryffindor. And I have also come to the attention that you're a hypocritical asshole who might actually think with a different part of the body other than the brain."

"You just described every male that ever existed," Draco said with an automatic smirk.

To his surprise, she smirked as well. And she could have given him a run for his money with this one. He liked to think that this change in behavior was his doing. "That's what I thought you'd say." She got up from his bed and walked along his room, her hands clasped neatly behind her back. She stopped next to a painting of an empty corridor. "I have to admit you had me fooled. I heard a lot about you in the Gryffindor's point of view while trying to do homework the other night. I didn't really let it absorb in my mind right away. But I've had a little while to think while up in your room tonight."

"And how exactly did you get into my room, Lynch?" Draco crossed his arms lightly across his bare chest. He was still in nothing but a towel.

"I'm clever. Nice look, by the way," she said nodding at his towel.

Draco smirked. "I think you're enjoying it."

Abby turned and faced the portrait on the wall. She ran her hand over it before turning back to Draco.

"You went from being good company today.. to the complete opposite."

"Well you're the one imposing on my privacy," Draco said.

"You wouldn't say that earlier, when you landed on me out on the pitch."

"That was an accident, Lynch."

"But a fortunate one, eh?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

Draco was quiet. He walked towards her. "You're like a damn hammer to my head. I have no idea what I think of you."

"I'm glad you're sharing your opinion, Malfoy. Please go on."

"I was going to until you interrupted me," he snapped. Abby raised both eyebrows. "What I said earlier about Gryffindors wasn't necessarily about you. You just misinterpretted it."

"Hmm. Hard to believe. But then again so was the fact that you were a eunoch."

"WHO SAID THAT?!"

"Although, it's a lot more believable now."

"Who. Said. That."

"Up until tonight I didn't mind you, Malfoy. Now I have had my head cleared of my little misconception. Things are much better now. And you won't have to worry about another Gryffindor invading your space again."

Draco pushed her into the wall by her shoulder. He was up against her and she was smashed into the portrait on the hard stone. He hadn't realized how turned on he was until that moment. It didn't matter what she said. Every driven word brought him here now. And he smirked at Abby.

"So what if I told you that I put on an act from the moment I met you. Would that make you see things even more clearly?"

"Oh, it'd be crystal. I'd just have to ask why."

Draco slid a hand down her side, Abby hid a shiver, and she was lucky that Draco hadn't noticed. "Apparently things aren't that clear then." The closeness was now affecting him in one of the only covered areas of his body.

Abby noticed it too. But rather than pulling away she smirked. "Apparently you aren't a eunoch after all," she said.

Draco pressed into her more, and grinned. His face was so close to hers. 

Then Abby grabbed one of his hands and pushed it into the side of the portrait they were against. The corridor that had before seemed to be painted had now materialized all around them.

"That painting has been there for seven years and you've never figured it out?" Abby said at the quizzical look on Draco's face.

"I don't usually poke around my walls. Apparently this is something else we haven't got in common."

Abby stepped away from him and began walking down the corridor. 

"Where're you going?"

Abby looked over her shoulder. Her soft brown hair was falling into her face. She turned her head again and continued walking.

"Abby! I'm in a fucking towel. I have no idea where we are and how to get back." She didn't turn around. "You're a bitch."

Nothing. She kept walking. Finally he ran after her. "Look. You've had your laugh. Can't you just--"

"I haven't laughed at anything, Malfoy. Not yet." Abby raised her wand and pointed it at him, muttered an incantation, and the towel was gone.

Abby raised her eyebrows in amusement and looked back up at Draco's face. He didn't bother to cover himself. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall, hard. Abby elicited a small moan of pain.

"Get me back. Now."

Abby grinned. "Rather demanding, aren't you?"

He pulled back and then slammed her into the wall again. She laughed. "I wonder. Do girls break up with you immediately after you have sex with them? You're rather rough. And not in that 'take me now' kind of way."

Draco scowled. "Get me back. Please? It's rather.. cold."

Abby grinned. "Fine, Malfoy. But on one condition."

"What's that?" 

"You act like yourself. None of this.. fake niceness. I'm not buying it anymore." Draco noticed how Abby's eyes were such a fierce green as he stared at her. 

He sighed and released her. "Fine."

Abby took off her black school robe and threw it around Draco's shoulders. "Just in case anyone walks down this corridor on our way back.

Draco grinned. "So where are we exactly?"

"Hogwarts," Abby said with a smirk.

"Wise ass.." Draco muttered.

"I thought it was 'prissy ass'?"

"And I thought we'd gotten past this."

Abby smiled. "Not a chance."

Draco gave a frusterated sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you it wasn't necessarily aimed at you?"

"You can tell a lie as many times as you want, Malfoy. It won't make it true. And here. Give me your hand."

Draco furrowed his brow at her and she gave a higly annoyed sigh. She grabbed his hand and balled it around her own, smaller one. She pushed it hard into a crack in the wall.

Draco's dormitory materialized around them again. "So you need two people to get through, then?" Abby nodded and Draco raised a brow. "How did you get in here by yourself before?"

She smirked. "Who said that I was alone? Or rather.. who said I came in that way in the first place?"

Draco sighed. "Not that I don't enjoy playing guessing games with you, Lynch, but--"

Abby put a finger to his lips. "You're rather nosey, Malfoy. Shut up for a bit."

Draco didn't move. She was close again. And maybe he had a chance to get her back this time. "I think you're attracted to me."

Abby laughed. "What brings you to this outrageous assumption?" she asked dropping her hand from his lips.

"No. It's not an assumption. I know you're attracted to me. You just won't admit it. And you're trying to play around it. No. As mad as you are over some stupid thing I said, I think you're just lying to yourself." He walked her against the wall. The boy has a thing with walls.

Abby kept her face emotionless, but when she felt the cold wall behind her she got an idea. She slid an arm around Draco's back and pushed her into him.

Draco grinned. "I guess I was right, then?" He pushed his hips into hers and brought his lips around to her neck.

Without warning, Abby wrapped a leg around Draco's hips and ground herself into him. She was fully clothed, but Draco had nothing under the robe that he had draped around him. It was beginning to open up as well.

Draco groaned, resting his head on Abby's shoulder. He'd waited so long, and had almost lost hope that this could ever happen. Well.. not tonight at least. But her hips were moving against him in small circles and he couldn't think anymore..

Abby grinned to herself. She wasn't going to be played with by this smart-mouthed Slytherin. Even if he was the perfect definition of a sex god. His hands were in every right place, and his breathing was uneven against her neck. Abby had to admit to herself how good it felt, but she couldn't let him win this. It would just be so much more fun to play a bit. Again without warning, she dropped her leg from his waist and slid out from beneath him.

Draco leaned against the wall on his arm for a moment before turning around.

"What the fuck, Lynch?" he said in a frusterated tone.

Abby grinned. He was in complete disarray. His face showed signs of frusteration, as well as his erection. 

Abby stepped forward and removed her robe from his shoulders. Then she left his dormitory through the door with a smirk plastered across her pretty face.


	6. Vengeance Delayed

The next few days Draco never felt more world-weary. Hanging out with Crabbe and Goyle was the least appealing thing to do, and the last interaction with Abby was rather embarrassing. He had decided to stay away from her until he had come up with a clever plan of his own. He's a clever guy! But apparently not as clever as he thought, since he was not coming up with any witty ideas.  
  
Abby proved far more brilliant than he. She was ever so content at the Gryffindor table. Or so one would think. Abby was not the type to allow someone to think that a silly little house would shape her coming. No, she was a bright girl, and her feelings for Draco, whether good or bad, she was determined to keep to herself.   
  
Draco sat in the Slytherin common room, watching others do their homework and chat about things that he found worthless. Younger girls in small groups passed by him occasionally, giggling like idiots, and Draco would roll his eyes. Enough was finally enough. The atmosphere was becoming cramped. But he didn't want to go to his dorm. His dormitory was even more gloomy and wearisome to the eye. He decided that he'd take a walk on the grounds. Perhaps clearing his head was a good idea. Then maybe he'd be able to come up with a clever plan to get Miss Abby back. Or he could just fantasize about her. Which seemed to overrule vengefulness.  
  
Again the wind took a stab at mussing Draco's hair, and yet another failed attempt. The air had a cold chill, not odd for summer in England at dusk. A breech tree by the lake looked like a nice place to sit down... if you were a girl like Potter. So Draco instead sat on a large rock right on the bank. It seemed a lot more rugged to be there.   
  
Flat rocks caught his eye and he began skipping them across the lake's slightly rippling surface. The cold air had a way of making the muscles in his body ache. And Draco was well off in the body department. His arms were slender yet muscular, and his chest was what any girl could dream of. He hadn't always been that fit though. There was a time when he was a rather scrawny little kid. But Draco was seventeen now. His face had matured, though much faster than his attitude. His eyes were more gray and he was obviously much taller.   
  
He never truly knew why he'd ache in cold weather. It wasn't as though he were an old man with brittle bones. He just felt sore.   
  
He turned around, feeling someone's presence. Abby was standing a few meters away from him, long, light brown wavy hair being gently blowing across her face. Draco wasn't sure if he was glad to see her there, or if he hated it. But he knew that he could stare at her for hours. He wouldn't though. That'd be intense of him. And Draco cannot be intense. At least this was what he told himself. He told himself that the only reason he was interested in Abby was for sexual matters. He was attracted to her. That was all...  
  
Abby took a step toward him as he looked at her from over his shoulder. She didn't have her black school robes over her clothes. She was simply wearing a white Oxford shirt and a skirt about a centimeter above her knees. Draco wondered how she wasn't freezing. For some reason his back tensed and he let out a groan of pain, but quickly cut it short.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Draco was caught off gaurd by this. He hadn't expected her to care how he was feeling. "I'm fine. It's nothing."  
  
Abby raised her eyebrows disbelievingly and took a few steps forward. Draco was facing the lake now, but he felt her getting closer. His eyes grew wide as she sat behind him. And he was even more surprised to feel her hands on his shoulders.   
  
"What--" he started.  
  
"Shh. Just relax," Abby said, not realizing how soothing it had sounded to Draco.  
  
Her small fingers worked hard to massage his shoulders. Soon her hands worked lower, to the sides of the middle of his back. Forgetting himself, Draco emitted a groan of comfort.  
  
Abby paused for a tenth of a second. Well if that wasn't the manliest sound she had ever heard, she thought to herself. She continued down to his lower back.  
  
Abby's fingers, though preciously small, were giving Draco the most amazing massage he'd ever gotten. And judging by the fact that the only one he'd ever gotten was from Pansy, whose fingers were like lobsters, this was rather good. But Draco, whose eyes had been closed for the past minute, opened them abruptly and spun around, grabbing Abby's wrists and taking her by surprise.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked her in a slightly heavy tone.  
  
Abby blinked. "I've been at this for almost ten minutes and you still don't know what I'm doing?"  
  
Draco shook his head impatiently. "Not that. I mean.. WHY?"  
  
Abby pulled her hands out of Draco's grip. "You were in pain. And I've been told I have a gift for kneading."  
  
"You sure as hell d-- that's not the point," Draco said quickly.  
  
Abby chuckled. "Fine. I won't touch your back."  
  
For a moment Draco thought of asking which other place she'd like to massage, but thought better of it. Suddenly he had an idea.   
  
He got up and walked away. Okay, so it wasn't a GREAT plan. But he had the idea that he was depriving Abby of something she wanted. She'd made a move towards him. She touched HIM. In Draco's eyes, this meant she wanted him now, and he had just walked away. Suddenly he stopped. WHAT HAD HE JUST DONE?! He'd been an idiot. He could have persued her! Mentally kicking himself, he turned around to walk back, not sure of what he'd say to her about his actions. But then he stopped again, eyes wide in surprise.  
  
Harry Potter had walked up to Abby. She was still seated on the large rock, and with Harry standing, he looked rather taller than he was usually. But what made Draco maddest was the smile Abby had on her face. It was as though she were laughing. Draco hadn't gotten that look on her face before, and he was instantly jealous. He spun around once more and made his way back up to the castle, vengeance on his mind once again, and this time it was far more potent. 


	7. Woman of Bangles

Abby had been somewhat surprised to see that Draco left. She hadn't expected it of him, but she grinned to herself at having gotten to him a bit. Shortly after he'd gotten up, Harry had walked over to her.  
  
"Hey, Abby," he said cheerfully.  
  
Abby smiled up at him. "'Ello."  
  
"This is really stupid actually, but I figured if I didn't come over here and speak to you, Ron would talk my ear off." He shifted his weight.  
  
"What is it?" Abby asked, her brow furrowed.  
  
"Well. As you know, the Hogsmeade trip is coming up soon. Ron has made it into a big deal that you come with us. But.. the way he talks about you, and blushes like an idiot, we know he'd be really upset, and most likely pissy if you don't come," Harry said, grinning. "And personally, being around Ron when he's aggravated isn't the most fun."  
  
Abby laughed, pearly white teeth showing. "No, I'd love to go. Should I just tell him myself? Or--"  
  
"I think he'd wet himself, Ab," Harry interrupted with a chuckle.  
  
"Hmm. That bad, huh?"   
  
Harry nodded. "He's terrible with girls. He and Hermione were a complete disaster."  
  
"They dated?" Abby asked.  
  
"Well no. Fought endlessly for hours, Hermione pecked him on the lips, and he ran away. Later he excused himself with 'I have a really small bladder.'" Harry grinned again. "Which, you know, could be true. But I doubt it."  
  
Abby laughed again and stood up. Harry wasn't too much taller than her, maybe two inches. "You tell him then. What weekend is it anyways?"  
  
"This one, actually," Harry answered thoughtfully. "I'm going to go tell him. This is the last time I do this for him, honestly."  
  
Abby giggled as Harry turned to walk away. She sat down on the large flat rock again. Ron seemed like a sweet guy, and she was flattered that he fancied her. Then her smile faded. She'd thought of Draco, and what he would think. She hadn't at all planned to make him jealous, but she figured that might happen. Abby sighed at this slight predicament.  
  
---  
  
Draco had his head in his hands, elbows resting on the small desk next to his bed. He'd come to realization that HEY! He wasn't as intelligent as he thought! And that is definately an epiphany. One would be proud of him for this.  
  
During all the time he had been thinking of ideas to get back at Abby, he'd only come to one very doltish plan. Date another girl to spite her. He realized how lame this was, but he was willing to work with it. Hogwarts had its share of gorgeous girls, but the truth was, Draco was having a hard time figuring out who he'd pursue. Then it came to him. Abby was the only Gryffindor he'd ever openly shown an interest in. He'd have to date another Gryffindor so she'd know that she was no exception. But who? Hermione had grown rather pretty in her teenage years, but really. Pursuing her would be like getting a fish to live outside of water. Ginny was rather pretty as well.. but her being the Weasel's sister ruled her out automatically.  
  
Lavendar? She wasn't all that pretty. Then he thought of it. Parvati. She was pretty, and he'd seen her making out with a few Gryffindors and Ravenclaws; even a Slytherin once. Draco grinned and made his decision.   
  
----  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Parvati said, trying to sound annoyed.  
  
"Just hear me out Pati-- Parvati. One date. You'll find I can be very charming..." Draco forced a smile.  
  
Parvati blinked at him. "Are you trying to freak me out? You're good at it."  
  
She began to walk away but Draco grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.. gently, or something. "I'm a great kisser!"  
  
Parvati broke out into fits of laughter. Draco looked truly hurt.   
  
"Ohhhh... sorry, Malfoy. It's just... I didn't realize you were into girls until now." Parvati tried to stop herself from giggling, but she failed miserably.  
  
Draco stared at her in shock. "You.. you thought WHAT?"  
  
"Well you know.. I didn't think you were gay. I just sort of thought of you as.. well.. asexual. Sexless. Oh! Kind of like a HERMIT!"  
  
"OKAY! I get it. But Parvati?" Draco said moving in closer.  
  
"What?"  
  
Draco slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him, crashing his lips against hers. His eyes were open, and his expression was almost bored, but this didn't matter. His kiss was still capable of making girls weak at the knees. They separated, and Parvati was speechless.  
  
"You.. I.. that.." she stuttered.  
  
"Pick you up at the Entrance Hall around 11 and we'll go to Hogsmeade?" he said with eyebrows raised.  
  
Parvati managed a meek nod and Draco left, grinning maliciously. God, he thought, it must be so horrible not being a Malfoy...  
  
---  
  
It was eleven o'clock and Draco was getting tired of waiting. He knew he'd have to be a little nicer than his usual self, but not SO nice that he'd lose his reputation for being a fuckstick.  
  
Finally Parvati showed up. Draco blinked at her. She had her hair out of her plait; it was black, shiny, and curly to her waist. She had gold bangles on her wrists, a pink sweater with the sleeves pushed up, and a khaki skirt. She looked all right.. save for her horrible choice in clothes. Draco abhorred pink. He had this loathing intensified when Pansy had worn peppy pink robes to the Yule Ball. It hurt just to look at her, not that it didn't hurt when she was wearing other colors.  
  
"Ready to go?" he asked, trying to sound somewhat annoyed to see her, rather than ENTIRELY annoyed, as he truly was.  
  
Parvati nodded and held out her elbow.   
  
Draco stared at her, and slightly shaking his shoulders and head, asked, "What are you doing?"  
  
Parvati made an annoyed noise at the back of her throat. "What does it LOOK like I'm doing?"  
  
"Acting like half a chicken?" Draco asked as innocently as he could.  
  
"I want you to take my ARM, Mal-- Draco," she said catching herself, and grinning.  
  
"Oh. Well, I'm not going to," he said with a shrug.  
  
Parvati blinked at him. "What?"  
  
He wrapped his arm around her waist. Parvati gave a comprehensive look and they began walking with the other students to the carriages to Hogsmeade.  
  
Draco dropped out of the carriage first. Parvati held her hand out for him to get, and trusting that he'd catch it, she leaned her weight out of the carriage.   
  
KERPLUNK!  
  
Parvati was on the ground, and Draco looked down at her. "Oh. Sorry," he said, not meaning it.   
  
She held her hand up for him to help her up, and he turned around and began walking away, pretending he hadn't seen. Parvati gave a groan and got up, then walked quickly to catch up with him.  
  
"Not the friendliest bloke, are you?" Parvati said, wiping dirt off her skirt.  
  
"What do you mean? I'm a right little ray of sunshine," Draco replied. "Three Broomsticks?"  
  
"Oooh... how about Madam Puddifoot's?" Parvati whined.  
  
"You think I'm going into a place that sounds like someone's trod in dragon dung?" Draco said gratingly. "You're out of your mind Pat-- Parvati." Parvati stopped in her tracks. Draco looked at her blankly. "Is this the part where you tell me you won't go to the Three Broomsticks unless I CARRY you there?"  
  
Parvati glared. "Are you going to be like this all day?"  
  
Draco gave a frusterated sigh. Boredly, he grabbed Parvati and pulled her against him, and possessed her mouth with his own. He let his tongue glaze her lips, his eyelids half open. Tugging on her bottom lip a little, he pulled away slowly.  
  
"You're right, Parvy," he said, trying not to chortle at the pet name, "I will behave."  
  
Parvati grinned. "'Behave' is a little extreme.." she said, in the most seductive voice she could muster at the moment.  
  
"Ehh.." Draco let go of her uninterestedly and began walking towards the Three Broomsticks again.  
  
Parvati blinked and followed him, clasping her hand around his. Draco stopped and looked down.  
  
"Woman, WHAT are you doing?" he asked, still looking down at her hand.  
  
She only tightened her grip as she pushed open the clanging door to the Three Broomsticks and dragged him inside. Draco was pulled all the way to a back corner that was rather darker than the rest of the shop.  
  
"Do you dislike sunlight, Parvati?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.  
  
"I wouldn't be one to talk, Draco. With some nice oversized lips you could be the son of a circus clown." Parvati grinned to herself.  
  
Draco blinked and sat down. "...I resent that. So why did you have to pick this cave of a spot, anyways?"  
  
Parvati sat down very close to him, looking at him intensely. Draco stared blankly at her.  
  
"Is there something on my face?" Draco asked, getting great pleasure out of this whole day.  
  
"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati said before kissing him on the lips as passionately as she could. Draco kissed her back, imagining someone else. Parvati grabbed his thigh and he jumped.   
  
"Gods, woman. Control yourself, the waitress is coming," he muttered to her.  
  
"Hallo, loves. What would you like?"  
  
"A strawberry fizzip, please." Parvati smiled sweetly at Madam Rosmerta.  
  
"A heavy club," Draco muttered.  
  
"What was that, dear?" Madam Rosmerta asked.  
  
"A butterbeer," he said louder.  
  
She smiled and walked back to the bar on the LIGHTER side of the tavern.  
  
"So.." Parvati cooed.  
  
"Did your last boyfriend deprive you of sex, or something? You're rather randy," Draco said in a bored tone, as the bells to the door clanged once more.  
  
Parvati glared at him. "And you're rather bothersome, do you realize that?"  
  
But Draco had stopped listening to her. She was merely a buzzing in his ear. He was staring at the people who had just come through the door. He heard her familiar laughing; saw her familiar smile. But.. she wasn't REALLY with who she was with... she couldn't be. First Potter.. now Weasley? Draco had to be seeing things.  
  
He watched Abby sit down next to Ron, who looked too nervous to even place an arm around her. Draco's face, though avoiding red color, had gotten warm with loathing. He knew Abby well enough to know she was not a fit match for Ron, who was looking at her so blankly and probably not believing his luck.  
  
"Draco? Draco? Draco Malfoy! Are you even listening to me?" Parvati yelled, waving her bangled hand in front of his face.   
  
He snatched her hand, held it in midair, and turned his head to look at her. "No. I'm not."  
  
With that he got up, passing Abby's table, catching her eye. His face was cold and expressionless. Abby looked down at the table quickly. Madam Rosmerta stepped in front of him as he approached the door.  
  
"Your drink, dear?" she asked.  
  
"Go accidentally spill it on the pink princess in the corner, Rosmerta. Father will be proud of you."   
  
Madam Rosmerta grinned, recalling her childhood crush on Lucius. The bells on the door clanged once more and Draco left in a hurry. 


	8. Abby Normal

Harry noticed Abby's odd behavior first. "What's the matter, Ab?"  
  
She looked up and smiled, shaking her head. "Nothing. I'm fine."  
  
Ron courageously took a stab at making himself part of the conversation for the first time. "Has that bloke been er.. bothering you?"  
  
Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Luna all snickered behind their butterbeers.  
  
Abby giggled herself. "No. He hasn't bothered me. He isn't so bad."  
  
The other five stared at her. Abby felt her cheeks heat up.  
  
"You're barking," Ron said, forgetting his nervousness. "Malfoy's a ruddy prat. What are you doing sticking up for him? Are you feeling well?" He felt her forehead which was now rather warm by embarrassment.  
  
She moved his hand away. "You know, I don't think I am. I'll see you in the common room tonight?" Abby dropped a few sickles on the table for her butterbeer. She got up quickly and left through the clanging door.  
  
---  
  
Draco was feeling rather sour. His plan hadn't worked out, because he'd grown bored, and then.. he saw her. He realized that jealousy wouldn't work for Abby. Especially if she was trying to get him jealous with Weasley. Draco laughed mirthlessly to himself as he strode back to the castle gates. The chirping of the birds was annoying him. His reflexes were fast, and he snatched a happily whistling, little bird in his hand off of a low tree branch. He squeezed it and it squaked loudly before he threw it unceremoniously to the side. Immediately afterward, he slipped in a great puddle of mud, and was soilded from head to foot.  
  
Draco Malfoy, when mad, is amusing to the outsider's eye.  
  
He pushed a small first year to the side, who had emitted a high pitched squeak, not only at his momentum, but at Draco's appearance. Once he reached the large oak doors he pushed them open and sauntered inside, glaring at anyone who looked his way. This was just about everyone. Who doesn't notice dragon droppings when they strut into a room?  
  
With many squishes of his shoes, Draco followed the corridor down to the Slytherin common room. Once halfway to the bathroom, he shook his muddy robe off of his shoulders and threw it on the fireplace. It was an old robe anyways. He mustn't have old robes. New robes! Shiny! The best! Brand spankin' new, partner!  
  
He worked open the buttons on his now brown oxford shirt as he opened the door to the lavatory. Draco threw his shirt in the sink and undid his trousers and let them drop to the floor as he stepped out of them. He took off his green boxers and threw them over his shoulder.   
  
Stepping into the shower, Draco groaned. The warm pressure of the jets against his shoulders was just what he needed. There was a click of the door as Draco made the water hotter, allowing it to stream down his chest. He closed his eyes and let the water cascade down his face. The mud was washed clean now and as he went to reach for the soap, the shower curtain was wrenched open.  
  
"Bloody hell!" Draco yelled as he looked at the person who'd disturbed his shower.  
  
It was Warrington, the tall Quidditch captain. He was staring at Draco in a most peculiar fashion.  
  
"Would you SHUT IT? LEAVE?!" Draco yelled, trying to cover himself with an oh-so-sadly-too-small wash cloth.  
  
Warrington sighed as if he were bored. Draco looked at him in disbelief, then reached up and closed the curtain himself.  
  
Warrington opened it again. Draco stared at him with wide eyes before closing it once more. Warrington gave a frusterated sigh and wrenched it open a last time.  
  
"Would you LEAVE already?!" Draco yelled, becoming frantic.  
  
Warrington closed his eyes. Draco rolled his own. "Oh NOW you don't want to look? ..Mate, if you're going to just stand there with your eyes closed you might as well step away and close the--"  
  
Draco stopped. Warrington's features had softened. They had softened too much. Way too much. Why were they softening so? Warrington's face was becoming much less ugly. His hair was growing into large, dark brown curls now cradling... Abby's face?  
  
"You!" Draco yelled, covering himself with as many bath products as he could reach.  
  
Abby rolled her pretty green eyes. "Oh honestly, Draco. I've already seen it. Congratulations."  
  
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Thank y--"  
  
"You need to stop this possession thing that you have with me," Abby said crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Possession thing? You're out of your god-forsaken mind," Draco breathed. "And will you pass me that towel?"  
  
"Have you shampooed yet?" she asked in a bored fashion.  
  
"What? No, but--" he started.  
  
"Well by the looks of your clothes, you mustn't be very clean." She began rolling up her sleeves. "Give me that." She pointed to his groin.  
  
"WHAT?!" Draco yelled, his loudest yet.  
  
"Uggh. Dear Gods, boy. I meant the shampoo bottle. And turn around," she commanded. He did so. "Thatta puppet," she cooed with a grin that he couldn't see, but sense. She looked down and gave an impressed look.  
  
"You're a vile, wicked girl," Draco spoke into to the tiled wall.  
  
"Sticks and stones, love." Abby squeezed a small amount of shampoo into her small hand. "Nice arse, by the way."  
  
Draco smirked to himself. Then he felt Abby's small fingers on his head and he felt a funny jolt in the pit of his stomach.  
  
Abby struggled for a moment and Draco gave an exaggerated 'ouch!' "Well honestly, Draco. You've definately been abusing the concept of gel." A few moments later though, the shampoo and water had made his hair humanly again, and Abby's fingers massaged his scalp freely. Draco tried to remain still, and he knew now that turning around would be a terrible idea.  
  
"Lean your head back," Abby said, as she tugged his hair back anyways, yanking his head under the jets of water.  
  
"Gods, woman! I would have complied." Draco blindly swatted behind his head.  
  
Abby laughed. "You're getting me all wet. And I take it you sleep with gel in there too?"  
  
Draco remained quiet. "Err.. no. Well.. oh would you just get me a towel?" Abby reached for a towel, but when Draco looked over his shoulder at her he made a face to mock her. "One bigger than a rag, wench."  
  
While Abby went to find a larger towel, Draco made the water its coldest and let it run down his front. Sure, it was uncomfortable. But it was better than his towel becoming a tent.  
  
"Here you are," Abby said holding the towel up for him. She was lightly sprayed with freezing water on her face and she wiped it away, grinning.  
  
Draco turned off the water and snatched the towel from her. He wrapped it around his waist and turned around, seizing Abby by the wrists. She tried to wrench her hands away, but he only tightened his grip.  
  
"Abigail, DARLING, now what is it that you said earlier? I act as though I possess you, do I?" Draco plastered on his worthiest smirk.  
  
Abby ceased her struggles. "Well you stormed off seeing me with--"  
  
"Potter? Weasley? Which one? Which time? Which guy?" Draco didn't remove his icy gray eyes from Abby's green ones.  
  
Abby sighed. "There was no Potter. And Weasley was just something nice I did for him."  
  
"Oh. Well NOW I don't think you're a whore," Draco said.  
  
Abby glared at him. "I'm not asking you to believe me. But I will ask you to let go of me."  
  
"Not yet. I'm not done, here," Draco said, shaking the wet hair out of his face.  
  
"What now?" Abby asked, losing patience.  
  
Draco put an arm around the small of her back and crashed her small body against his. Without waiting to see the expression on her face he kissed her. Draco was getting pleasure out of the softness of her lips, the delicacy of her tongue, and the way her arms were now around him as well, her hands on his droplet-adourned back. When they separated he stared at her. Her espression was not what he had anticipated.  
  
"Are you done now?" Abby stepped out of Draco's shocked arms and left the lavatory, the door slamming rather hard. Draco blinked at the closed door before rubbing his forehead with his hand and letting out a frusterated sigh. 


	9. To Loathe Defeat

"Malfoy!" Warrington called.  
  
Draco carefully turned around. He stared oddly at Warrington before walking up to him. Then he poked his face.  
  
Warrington swatted at him, a disturbed look on his face. "What are you doing, mate?!"  
  
"Nevermind.." Draco muttered.  
  
"Gryffindor's got themselves a new team," Warrington continued. He handed him parchment with tidy handwriting.   
  
Draco gaped. Abby Lynch was a Beater. Well, it wasn't as though he hadn't expected it.. it was just such corruption. Playing Gryffindor was bad enough. Slytherin had never won once. This had been the cause of many of Draco's nightmares. Yes. Even Slytherin sex gods have bad dweeeams.  
  
Draco glared at the paper. Jack Sloper was a Beater along with Abby. Ginny Weasley, Andrew Kirke, and Natalie MacDonald were Chasers. Keeper was Ronald Weasley. Seeker's position.. was none other than Harry Potter. Draco glared at his name. He glared and he glared and he glared. Then he glared some more.  
  
The first Quidditch game was in a few weeks. Perhaps this would be the first time Slytherin would defeat them. ..Or perhaps not.  
  
---  
  
Quidditch practice was going substantially well. The rains were more frequent and the winds had also picked up over the past few days. Draco hated to practice in the rain, for his satisfactory robes would get so dirty. It pestered him. Like a flea on a kitten.  
  
Warrington was working them hard. He was a tyrant of a captain, alike every other they'd ever had. Draco had been absolutely apalled when he hadn't become Quidditch captain. Then again.. he wasn't the greatest Seeker.. but he'd never admit that to himself. He was still highly jealous of Warrington, even though the prat had a face like an opossum.  
  
Draco had caught the Snitch six times already during practice. It hadn't been the easiest task, considering the rain was so heavy and his visibility was poor. Perhaps he needed glasses. He laughed mirthlessly to himself. Glasses. Like Potter. Ha. That would never happen.  
  
"MALFOY! GET DOWN HERE!" Warrington was calling from the ground. Practice was over, and Draco could not have been more ecstatic. Showering was a personal favorite of his.  
  
Draco landed on the squashy, muddy ground and his feet felt funny. Perhaps it was because his Quidditch booties were too big on him. He grinned remembering when he'd bought them. It was when he thought Abby was nothing more than a delicate flowerbud that he'd manuever his way into blossoming. Could he BE more wrong?  
  
"Malfoy. Go to sleep early. If we lose tomorrow, I'll drown you in your dinnerplate afterwards." Warrington grinned.  
  
Draco gave an annoyed sigh. "That isn't remotely frightening."  
  
Warrington's grin faded. "Oh. Right."  
  
Draco hurried into the showers, washing away the mud and trying to feel less stressed about the next day's game.  
  
---  
  
A woosh of red streaked by Draco's left eye. He swatted at the air. The rain was harder than ever and Draco was now secretly wishing for Potter-frame glasses, considering the visibility was completely and utterly poor. Another woosh streaked past him, this time black, with a loud whirring noise as it passed just an inch from his right ear. A bludger. Draco turned and saw Abby. She was looking at him with a growing intensity in her blindingly green eyes. Even through the misty rainfall he could see them.  
  
"TRYING TO KILL ME, LYNCH?!" He yelled to her, a deadly scowl on his drenched face.  
  
She flew closer. "Not trying. But if it happens I won't complain." She flew off quickly and Draco glared at her backside as she disappeard to the other side of the pitch.  
  
Gryffindor was leading 40 to 30. Draco was surprised at this. They weren't so far behind. He squinted and maneuvered his broom lower, searching for a glint of gold. Surprising himself even more, he saw one. It was hovering by the Slytherin goal post farthest left. Draco wasted no time in zooming forward. He was only a few meters away. So close.   
  
He was knocked into very hard by Harry Potter, who's soaked red Quidditch robes were against Draco's green ones. Perhaps that icky dye would run?! He was relieved that his father hadn't bought him those genuine silk robes he'd been pestering him for all summer. Draco lied flat to his broom, speeding up, his arm outstretched. The Snitch was racing in front of them now.. daring them in a way as if it were grinning at them, teasing them and snickering as its wings beat against the moist air.  
  
Draco's fingers were so close now, just centimeters away from the golden glint. Digits finally closed around it, and they were in fact.. not Draco's.   
  
Defeated. Again. But there was always the wondrousness of showering.  
  
---  
  
Gryffindor's euphoria from winning against Slytherin yet again had not run out by the following Monday. Potions class though, was one where they could not be so ecstatic. Draco grinned at this. He sat between Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe, his face as smug as a pug in a rug (even though the saying is not quite the same.. perhaps ugly little dogs could smirk). His table also gave him perfect view of Abby. He wasn't entirely sure if this was good though, considering he'd look at her for far longer than he should. Today was probably the most unfortunate time of all. Abby's robe was unclipped. It fell more to the side of her than in front. Her gray shirt was halfway up her slim thigh and her white oxford shirt was unbuttoned an inch below her colarbones. Her cherry tresses were in messy curls falling past her shoulders, today. The color of her emerald eyes were intensified. Draco wondered if anyone could be any more annoyingly beautiful.  
  
Suddenly she caught his eye. He didn't look away though, he stared at her with an unreadable expression. Hers was even more so, though. They broke eye contact only when Snape ordered the class to begin their potionmaking.  
  
The bell couldn't have been a better sound to Abby's ears. Draco had been making her feel most uncomfortable, but she had kept herself seemingly unaware of this emotion to the outsider's eye. He wasn't staring at her as though she were a slab of Angus beef. No. His expression was too serious, too full of longing. She loathed him; from his entrancing eyes to his seductive lips.  
  
Draco was just as relieved to hear the bell ring. As he gathered his materials he thought of Abby. When did he not? He was psychotic. He'd noticed little things about her today. She'd bite her lip when measuring ingredients. She would squint slightly when she looked at the directions on the board, before pulling out her glasses and pushing them onto her button nose. So her stunning eyes were not perfect. This made him grin. He loathed her.  
  
But that did not stop him from coming up behind her as he left class, a smirk on his most flawless face. 


	10. Pleasurable Confinement

Draco was about to open his mouth to say something when a classmate walked up from behind him. It was Trenton Montague. His hair was short, dark, and somewhat unruly. His eyes were a warm hazel and his features were chisled and perfect. His cheekbones made for shallow chasms where cheeks should be. He was a few days' unshaven, giving him a rugged, handsome look. Not that Draco was looking. Trenton was the type of guy to be with a different girl every night. And it certainly was -every- night. He didn't limit them to Slytherins either, which meant he'd bring Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and the occasional Hufflepuff back to his room. Sometimes more than one at a time. He was a very classy male beast.  
  
"'Ello Abby," he said in his low, ruttish voice. The grin on his face was making Draco feel the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
"Hey Trenton," Abby said, shaking her head to rid a deep red curl from going in her eye. Trenton let his eyes flicker downward and take in Abby very quickly before turning around and going his way. Abby hadn't seemed to notice as she placed something in her bag and looked back up at Draco. "You wanted to talk to me?"  
  
Draco shook his head, wanting to confront this new situation. "You know Trenton Montague?"  
  
"Yes, he came up to me about a week ago. Why?" Abby asked, looking as though she really wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"Well.. he's just.. a shady character," Draco finished psuedo-proudly. Abby was quiet for a moment before dissolving into a fit of laughter. Draco blinked. "What? Why are you laughing? Stop that."  
  
Abby stopped mid-giggle.. then she started again. She wiped a small tear from her happy eyes. "Shady character? Sh-Shady?" The laughing started again, and Draco heard a distinct hicupp.  
  
"Would you DESIST?" Draco hissed at her.  
  
"Ohhhh.. I'm sorry. That was just.. wooo. I'm all right now. You were saying about Trenton? He's just a friend." Abby still fought hard not to continue laughing.  
  
"Montague doesn't want to be girls' friends. He wants to sleep with them. Get in their pants. Make their heads slam meaningfully into headboards." Draco had been pacing without even realising.  
  
Abby chuckled. "All right.. well thank you for the warning. Although I'd figured as much."  
  
Draco stopped and looked at her. He didn't remember why he'd gone to talk to her in the first place. The corridor seemed so dim all of a sudden. But the light that there was seemed to dance in Abby's eyes. It annoyed the hell out of him.  
  
"Why the hell am I here?" he muttered to himself.  
  
Abby leaned in trying to hear him better. "What was that?"  
  
Draco turned around and stalked in the other direction. Abby blinked and followed him. He was shaking his head. "Bye Abby," he said angrily.  
  
Abby stopped and stared at his back as he walked in the direction she knew was the way to the Slytherin common room. She sighed and made her way to her own.  
  
---  
  
Draco forked his eggs, moving them around his plate in a bored fashion. Trenton came and sat down in front of him.  
  
"What IS the matter with you? You've been acting mopey all week. Perhaps longer. It's irritating me." Trenton was propped up by his lower arms and his hands were locked together by the fingers. His eyebrows were raised to give his face a look of interest.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me," Draco answered unconvincingly.  
  
"Liar."  
  
"It's Abby," Draco blurted out.  
  
Trenton grinned. "Had a feeling. She's a prized piece, if I do say so myself."  
  
Draco gritted his teeth. "I'd rather you didn't."  
  
Trenton had twisted his muscular upper body, and was looking across the Hall at her. Draco felt something surge through his stomach. Jealousy. He tried to convince himself that it was just the eggs.. but he hadn't eaten any. He wasn't necessarily fond of eggs. They made him gag. Pretty, Picky Princess.  
  
"Pretty girl. So she's not interested in you?" Trenton turned back to look at Draco.  
  
"Who said she wasn't, Trent?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
Trenton grinned. "Well if she was then you wouldn't be acting so damn pathetic."  
  
Draco glared at him. "Just because you've slept with the female population of Hogwarts, Montague, doesn't mean that you can start giving me advice."  
  
"Oh, it doesn't? What if my advice works?" Trenton had a mishchievous look on his face now.  
  
Draco sighed. "Fine. If I let you pretend your advice has meant something to me, will you leave?"  
  
Trenton feigned a look of thought. "Well no. But I guarruntee that I won't leave if you don't let me give it a try." Draco waved his hand as if to say 'go on, you big prat.' So Trenton continued. "Get into a situation that seems accidental. Get really close. Then try being a bit roman--"  
  
Draco cut him off. "Do not think of finishing that sentence, Montague, or I'll lick you. Not in the way you seem to enjoy it either."  
  
Trenton laughed. "I'd lick to see you try. I mean like. I'd LIKE to see you try."  
  
Draco almost laughed. "But.. maybe.. you know what? That just might work. And Trenton? Look at Abby the way you have been and I'll--"  
  
"Lick me?"   
  
Draco smirked. "Or I can just let Abby slam your head into a stone column. I'm sure she's strong enough to do so."  
  
Trented nodded. "Fair enough. But if she still doesn't go for you.. I'm going to continue my subtle way of hitting on her."  
  
Draco snorted. "I don't classify 'Hey babe, wanna ride me in the broomstick cupboard' as subtle." Trenton shrugged and laughed. Then Draco got a thought. "You. You can help me."  
  
"I thought we'd established that I already had?" Trenton said crossing him arms across his chest.  
  
Draco shook his head. "We need to fight one another. Get hurt."  
  
Trenton blinked. "Ohhh.. I get it. AVERTE STATUM!"  
  
Draco was blasted off his feet and hit the wall behind him hard, before falling about five feet to the ground. His hair was in his face as he groaned and grabbed his side. He saw Abby running from the Gryffindor table and pull her wand out on Trenton. Draco was doing the same. They had planned to do this. But Draco hadn't expected to miss the first shot. He'd simply hoped he'd end up with detention and a trip to the infirmary, where Abby might visit him. He'd milk being hurt, moan a little, and maybe get a snog of sympathy.  
  
"FURNUCULUS!" Draco yelled as a silver light shot out of his wand and hit Trenton right between the eyes.  
  
Professor Snape and Dumbledore strode over to the three students whose wands were out. "Detention!" Barked Snape. "All three of you. In my dungeons at 8 tonight. Montague, get up to the hospital wing, now!"  
  
"Do you really think the girl needs detention as well?" Dumbledore simpered. "She hadn't done anything."  
  
"Yet."  
  
Everyone looked at Abby. Draco was breathing heavily and rubbing his side. Trenton's face had sprouted large, ugly boils. He'd turned around on his way out of the Great Hall to look at Abby as everyone was doing. Snape had a slimy smile on his face.  
  
"What was that, Miss Lynch?" Dumbledore asked in his annoyingly calm manner.  
  
"I was going to curse him. Malfoy just got to him first." Abby pocketed her wand in as calm a fashion as Dumbledore's and moved the straight, long, black hair out of her pretty face.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. Sure he was old, but the man knew everything. And he knew what was going on right now.  
  
Draco mouthed to Abby, "What are you DOING?"  
  
She pretended not to notice him. It was almost as if she wanted to serve detention with him. He hid a grin at this.  
  
"Well then, Miss Lynch," Dumbledore continued. "You will indeed serve detention along with Malfoy and Montague with Professor Snape tonight."  
  
Dumbledore strode away with Snape behind him. He had a boyish grin hidden under his thick, white, beard. Crackpot old man.  
  
Abby left the Great Hall and Draco hurried to catch her. Then he thought better of it. Instead he made his way to his common room. It was a Saturday. He was going to be serving a detention on a Saturday.. but it'd be worth it. Or so he hoped.  
  
---  
  
Draco's hands were in his pockets as he walked towards Snape's dungeon. When he got to the door he saw Abby and Trenton waiting as well. The door suddenly opened, as if waiting for all three to appear. Snape was by his desk though.  
  
"Get in!" He barked. The three of them came in and the door remained open. "Montague, I want you to clean those potion vials over there." He pointed. "Malfoy. Lynch. I need you search my supply closet for Woomphrus Vein. I have misplaced it. When either of you have found it I want you to scrub the tables. The top AND underneath."  
  
Trenton stared at a large quantity of dirty, encrusted vials and groaned. Draco stared at the supply closet, as did Abby. Well.. the plan had worked. They'd be close.. but not the kind of closeness he'd intended for. The two of them made their way toward the closet and opened the door. There wasn't much light, so he pulled his wand out and muttered "Lumos!"  
  
Professor Snape suddenly got up. "I must go talk with a fellow peppy professor. I'll return whenever I see fucking fit."  
  
He stalked out of the dungeon, and didn't seem to notice his extremely odd behavior just a moment ago. He slammed the dungeon door as he left.  
  
Trenton looked over at the other two. "What do you think that was about?"  
  
Draco shook his head and Abby shrugged. "I've heard that all of the professors at Hogwarts eventually go mad or get offed. It was only a matter of time for Snape, right?" Abby looked completely innocent as she said this.  
  
Draco raised his eyebrows at her. "That's just the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, actually. But that was odd of Snape. Anyways, better start looking for that.. Woomfy Pain he wanted."  
  
"Woomphrus Vein," Abby corrected, already back in the closet and searching for it with her lit wand.  
  
Across the room, Trenton cleared his throat and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Draco grinned and stepped inside the closet once more. He lit his wand again and looked over the dusty shelves. He wasn't looking for the Woomphrus Vein though. Instead he was trying to think of ways to get even closer to Abby. They were back to back as it was; the closet was so small. Suddenly the closet door slammed. Draco grinned in the dim light of the closet. It had been Trenton who'd shut them up in there.  
  
Abby squeaked. "Trenton! Open it now!"  
  
Trenton must have been feigning deafness, for he did not answer. Abby tried to get in front of the door, and Draco shifted to allow her to. Somehow, they ended up facing eachother. They had both dropped their lit wands, so that it was dim by their faces. Their bodies were pushed up against one another and neither spoke. The air seemed to get very thick. Draco took a stab at a first move. Pretending to try and shift out of the way, he put his right hand on her hip and felt Abby shudder. He definately didn't want to move anymore, and Abby wasn't trying to move either. Suddenly her hand was on his chest near his left arm. Draco couldn't stall any longer. He took possession of her lips in an instant. Abby didn't fight. Instead, she kissed him back, her lips lapping at his and her mouth opening ever so slightly. Her hands were on Draco's neck and she noticed that he'd used much less gel in his hair this time. She grinned against his lips slightly.  
  
Draco's tongue swept across Abby's lips. She opened her mouth more, allowing his tongue permisison to dip teasingly inside. Their faces separated for a moment, and Draco looked down to see Abby's small fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt. She'd already managed to loosen his tie without his knowledge. He hadn't even begun to undress her. He'd been too sunken into their kiss to have thought about it. Silently he cursed himself for being such a prat. He kissed Abby's shiny swollen lips again and ran his hands up her sides, untucking her white shirt. Abby had already finished with his, and her hands were on his chest and back beneath it. His skin was so soft, and tightly stretched across his hard, yet discreet, muscles. Abby could now also feel another part of Draco's body that was hard.  
  
Draco had given up on Abby's shirt. The buttons were taking too much concentration, and all he really wanted was to run his tongue along her neck. His hands were now running up her silken legs, instead, and up her skirt. If possible, they were even closer now, and Abby could feel his member pulsating against her hip. She sucked at his lower lip before parting her lips enough for Draco's god-sent tongue to explore every crevice of her mouth. Draco groaned into Abby's mouth as she pushed even harder against him. One of his hands was now entangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head. The other was massaging a part of her thigh that was very much hidden by her skirt.  
  
Suddenly the two heard the sound of glass smashing. They broke apart immediately and began fixing their shirts as much as they possibly could. Draco kicked the door open and grabbed a random bottle off of the shelf. He ran a hand through his hair that was very much in disarray. Snape stood, staring blankly at the closet.  
  
"I think I've found it, Professor!" Draco called in a heavy and hasty voice. He was panting noticably.   
  
Snape eyed him suspiciously. "Let me see that."  
  
Draco reluctantly handed over the bottle of long, green, paper-scrap looking contents. Snape looked at it in his pale fingers. Draco looked at Abby, who's cheeks were rather red, though not as much compared to her lips. Luckily she'd managed to not look so mussed in her clothes as he did.  
  
"Well done, Malfoy." Draco looked up at Snape who had just spoken. "This is indeed Woomphrus Vein. It is just unmarked..." Snape looked very suspiciously at him. No doubt he'd had a clue of what was going on.   
  
Trenton was cleaning up a vial he'd dropped, most likely on purpose to give Draco and Abby a warning to Snape's arrival.  
  
"You two," he spat, pointing a long finger at Abby and Draco. "I've brought in a soapy bucket of water. Begin scrubbing the tables."  
  
Draco and Abby nodded and began cleaning. They stole glances at one another frequently when Snape wasn't looking. Draco's thoughts were entirely devoted to what had just happened in the supply closet. Had he really thought they'd shag during detention? Confinement in Snape's room wasn't THAT lucky. Abby was thinking of what had happened as well. What the hell had she done? Why did she let him kiss her like that? Touch her like that? Why had she groped him as well? She wasn't about to admit to herself that she liked this boy. Sure there was chemistry between them. It had kindled when they first met, but now is was blazing. Abby was so confused. She tried to block out the musings in her head and focus on scrubbing the stone tables. Instead she had thoughts of other things that could occur on these tables with a certain blonde-haired Slytherin Adonis. 


	11. Hate Drives You

The only thing keeping Draco scrubbing as hard as he was, was the the thought that afterward he'd be able to get Abby into his room. No way in hell he'd go to the Gryffindor tower. Never. But Snape crushed Draco's hopes.  
  
"Mister Montague, I want you to walk Miss Lynch to her common room. Mister Malfoy. Slytherin common room now. Go." Snape continued shuffling through papers and emitting a sigh. Trenton was almost sure he heard him mutter "How did it come to this.." under his breath.  
  
Trenton smiled at Abby and walked with her out of the room. Draco followed to the door and let out a sigh as they walked in the other direction as him. He shook his head and went to Slytherin's common room.  
  
---  
  
"Have fun in the closet?" Trenton grinned at his feet as he walked.  
  
Abby glared at the side of his rugged face. "Damn you for closing that door."  
  
Trenton looked up, completely apalled. "You TOLD me to! Or do you not remember our discussion before detention tonight?"  
  
Abby couldn't help but grin. "Fine. You win. Thank you, Trent."  
  
"No problem, love," Trenton said putting his arm around her waist.  
  
Abby swatted at his arm. "Stop that."  
  
Trenton pretended to pout for a moment, before a handsome smirk adourned his features. "Was it everything you were hoping for?"  
  
"Treeeeeent, stop that," Abby rolled up her sleeves. Then she pulled at a lock of her black hair. "Do you think I look bad in black?" The look Trenton was giving her made her glare. "Nevermind. I don't want to hear your immoral and depraved opinion."  
  
Trenton grinned wider. "Suit yourself, pet. So about Malfoy.."  
  
"Oh, fine. He was better than I thought he'd be. I thought his ego might have been the biggest thing he had."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I was wrong," Abby said with a smile. "Although.. that I've known for a while now."  
  
Trenton blinked. "Oh? When did you find out that source of information?"  
  
Abby hopped with her hands clasped behind her back. "In his dormitory a while back. And then of course there was the time I saw him in the shower..."  
  
"So you want him.. don't you?" Trenton asked, smiling at his shoes again.  
  
Abby sighed. "When I figure out my thoughts in my own head.. I probably STILL won't tell you." She grinned.  
  
Suddenly someone walked up, going in the opposite direction than Abby and Trenton. It was Pansy Parkinson, and she gave Abby an icy glare. Trenton chuckled as she passed.  
  
"Who was that?" Abby asked.  
  
"Pansy. She's a bit huffy with you. Doesn't like you being the basis of Draco's thoughts." Trenton shook his head. "A bit unhinged that one. She had a relationship with a strand of Draco's hair for all of fourth year." Abby giggled. Trent shook his head again. "It's no laughing matter. The hair was still connected to Draco's head."  
  
Abby laughed. "Sounds like a romance made in heaven. Anyways, Gryffindor Tower isn't too far, and I don't need an usher. You can go back now if you want."  
  
Trenton looked down at her with a sort of sadness in his hooded eyes. "All right. Anything you want me to tell Malfoy?"  
  
Abby sighed. "I don't know. You're a clever manslut. Make something up." She grinned and continued walking towards Gryffindor Tower.  
  
---  
  
"Snape's such a dirty git." Draco had been pacing his dormitory since he'd gotten there. "I could have walked her back."  
  
"Ehh.. you do realise she'd never get to her common room, right?" Trenton was sitting on his own bed looking through his side table's drawer.  
  
"She would have... eventually." Draco smirked.   
  
"What makes you so sure about her, anyways?" Trenton loved to play both sides.  
  
Draco blinked at him. "We were groping in the supply closet. I think that about covers it."  
  
"Real romantic man.." Trenton shook his head. "..I thought I had more condoms than this."  
  
Draco sighed. "You're a real ladies man yourself." Draco went into a horrible imitation of Trenton. "'Heyyyy, Ginny. You wanna..'" Draco clucked and purred and then stared at Trenton. "Is that what you call romance? Besides, who said that I wanted to romance Abby? Who says she even WANTS to be romanced."  
  
Trenton was counting on his fingers. "I swear I had more than this. Heh. Not a problem. I guess it's been a really busy month for me."  
  
Draco threw his arms up in the air. "You're a great help, Montague!"  
  
"Sorry, mate. Well.. you just need to.. get her in a room and shag her senseless or something. That's what you want, isn't it?"  
  
Draco sighed. "It was. But.. things keep getting in the damn way."  
  
"Ehm.. I'm not an expert, but I think those things are actually SUPPOSED to get in the way," Trenton said with a grin.  
  
"Oh shut up, you big TREE." Draco was getting impatient. "Abby's different. I want her to be satisfied. If we end up on a table, desk, rock, or treestump somewhere I want it to be somewhat special. Memorable."  
  
Trenton stood up and paced. "Well I see what you mean. It would be nice if she was conveniently propped up on a drumset somewhere, continually moaning your name, groping your arse, and asking you to spank her. ...I might be personalizing a bit on that one."  
  
Draco grinned. "Bottom line is.. if it doesn't go well she'll say 'Sorry Malfoy, your penis just isn't a smashing as I hear it is.' Not the greatest outcome."  
  
"Why are you so worried? She isn't the first girl you've slept with... right?" Trenton took a few steps back, as though he were afraid to get virgin vibes on him.  
  
"Of course not. It's just.. oh Gods." Draco's eyes were wide.  
  
"What is it?" Trenton asked, his brow furrowed.  
  
"Why why why why? Why do I care? She's just a girl. No different from any other I've been with, right? So why do I care so much?" Draco was pacing faster now.  
  
"I thought that was obvious?" Trenton sounded bored.  
  
Draco stopped pacing and looked at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
Trenton sighed and walked up to Draco, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Abby IS different. She's gorgeous and amusing and playful and smart. And she can certainly ride a broom. Er.. you know what I mean. Just stop thinking of her as just a conquest."  
  
Draco looked at Trenton blankly. "I can't believe.. out of all people.. YOU just told me that."  
  
Trenton laughed and shrugged, removing his hand from Draco's shoulder. "I learned a little from her. Maybe you should too. G'night." Trenton strode over to his bed, kicked his bottom half into the air and bounced onto his bed. Then he slid his curtains closed.  
  
---  
  
Draco's stomach churned as he lie in his bed. Something was rising inside him that he hadn't expected. His thoughts had been on Abby, but they were deliriously mixed thoughts. Draco had changed; maybe not much, but there still was change. Malfoys don't change. They do not develop feelings. They are cold-blooded, and clever; they are skilled and quick in thought or in action. A Malfoy does not fall in love, or grieve when another is hurt or sad. Draco was changing ever so slightly, and he could feel it. He knew who was causing it. This witty, beautiful, goddess of his. She meant nothing. These fantasies, these illusions; they were but ciphers. All they proved was that Draco was getting softer. Draco Malfoy is not soft. Yes, he has feelings. But not for others. Not for those who are not approved of. His father would never approve of Abby for the simplest, yet most intense of reasons; she was in Gryffindor. Malfoys do not associate with such beings as Gryffindors. And a Malfoy never.. never shows sentiment, for it is below them. Draco's father taught him this when he was young. Never love. Never cry.  
  
It was then that Draco came to a conclusion. He hated her. He abhorred her every move; loathed her every breath. He detested Abigail Lynch. He had no choice but.  
  
---  
  
Draco rolled over in his bed. His black silk sheets wrapped around his bare chest giving an effect of smothering. He kicked the sheets off of his body and wrenched the curtains on his four-poster to the side. The room was as dark as it had been at night. According to his watch it was seven o'clock. He dressed and went to brush his teeth. There had been no expression on his face since he'd awoken.  
  
He was a stubborn prick. It was true. But how could Draco Malfoy NOT be, with his upbringing? The corruption went so far back. Farther than he even knew. What he did know was that his father was a bully to him his entire life. Draco had looked up to him even through this. He admired how his father could get what ever he wanted. His father could do what ever he wanted without a worry in the world. Draco idolized him and wanted to be everything his father was. Lucius Malfoy was respected for a long time, without truly deserving it. Draco Malfoy was 15 when his father was taken to Azkaban prison. At the time he had been brainsick and frantic; and he knew he hated Harry Potter with a passion unbeatable by anyone else. Of course, in his moments of mind wandering, Draco would realise that Voldemort had to be pretty ticked off with Harry too. So Draco just figured he was neck and neck with the once-Tom Riddle. Then Draco began living his life without his father. He was astounded by the freedom he had. Draco had always been rather fond of his mother. She had been the only one to show him true care and love. Draco began to wonder what she'd seen in his father. They were so different from one another. She was too good for him, he'd once said aloud to his empty room. He'd cupped his mouth then. How could he ever disrespect his father so? That was when it dawned on him. He did not like his father. His life was exquisite without Lucius there to roughneck him.  
  
But he still had to hate Abby. Draco Malfoy's father was too strong of will to remain in Azkaban. He'd escape. Draco stared to the other side of the Great Hall. Abby looked just about as downtrodden as he. She was moving her fork around in her plate, her light brown hair falling into her face. He hated her.  
  
Trenton looked at Draco, his brow furrowed. "What's wrong with you today, Malady Malfoy?"  
  
Draco looked at him, his eyes pouring out nothingness. "Montague... pass the juice?"  
  
---  
  
Classes were the last thing on Draco's mind. The thought of having to concentrate was sickening him. He felt like closing himself up in his dormitory and relaxing. Or perhaps he'd take a shower. Or a bath. Not a bubble bath. Okay, MAYBE a bubble bath. How does one expect Draco Malfoy to be so prim and flawless if he does not pamper himself once in a while. But he DOESN'T have a rubber ducky named Pwoodler. He doesn't...  
  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. It was Abby. She noticed the emptiness in his eyes, and the blankness of his face. The way he was looking at her, as if he were only looking THROUGH her. She hated him.  
  
Her perfect hair and perfect face. The way he was being pulled forward by some unknown force. He hated it all. He hated her.  
  
They crashed together, taking possession of the each other's mouths as though they had been starved for years. They were in the dark corridor leading to Potions, but it also branched out to the Slytherin common rooms. They pulled apart for a moment and stared at one another. Draco's eyes, that had been only a few moments before, empty and cruel, were now full of longing. Abby was giving him a smoldering look. She grabbed his hand and whipped him around, pulling him toward his common room. When they got there Draco muttered "Worthy Wizard" and they gained entrance.  
  
Taking no heed of who saw them stride quickly past, they headed towards Draco's room, Abby leading the way. Draco knew she'd been there before, and he knew she had a few ways to get in. She opened the door and no one was inside. Draco followed her in, twisting around to lock the door with an unbreakable spell.  
  
He turned around and faced Abby. In no less than a second their faces were together again. Abby bit at Draco's lower lip, and he reached around her back and pulled her against him. His tongue slid along her lip and she opened her mouth wide enough for it to delve inside her mouth. His hands were now sliding up her untucked shirt, while her own were undoing Draco's tie. He walked her backwards towards his bed, but he tripped and they fell to the ground.  
  
Abby finally spoke to him, a gorgeous grin on her face. "I do believe this is supposed to happen ON the bed rather than on the floor next to it."  
  
Draco smirked at her, pinning her shoulder down. "Clearly you underestimate me. We could do this anywhere. I anticipated that by now you'd have figured that out for yourself."  
  
Abby pouted. "But.. your bed looks so luxurious. And soft. And.. and fluffy."  
  
"FLUFFY?! My bed is not FLUFFY! It is.. downlike. That's all. Feathery if anything!" Draco said half-frantically before regaining his composure.  
  
Abby just grinned and without warning, wrapped her legs around Draco's waist. Getting the idea he picked her up and lied her on his bed, getting on top of her. Their lips were inseperable once more. Abby's tongue was caressing Draco's, giving a soothing effect. She was working his belt buckle as he tried to release her from her hell-forsaken Oxford shirt. Draco was becoming frustrated once more. He'd only opened a few buttons, and there were at least ten more. He groaned in frusteration.  
  
"Do you ADMIRE this shirt at all, Lynch?"  
  
"Hate it," she breathed as she nipped at his lips.  
  
"Smashing," he said as he ripped the shirt off from her shoulder. Abby's breasts were showing through the ripped and exposed areas. She lifted off her back a little so that she could completely rid herself of the complicated shirt.   
  
Draco's mouth enveloped Abby's, his tongue freely sweeping inside her warm mouth. His hands slid down her sides and she arched her back. Draco, understanding her movements all too well, reached behind her and unclasped her bra with one hand. The black lace in the front loosened noticably and Draco broke the kiss for a moment. He let his fingers trace to Abby's small shoulders and pull the black straps down. He still held onto one of the straps and pulled it away from her body. The lacey cups glided off of her, and Abby watched as Draco's eyes glanced down. Abby's nipples were perfectly hard, yet soft at the same time. Draco let go of her bra and grazed his hand slowly over her right breast and cupped it. They met again in another hungry kiss; biting, licking, and teasing. Abby worked Draco's slacks down the best she could.  
  
"A little help would be most appreciated," she mumbled in between harassing of each other's mouths.  
  
"I hate you, Abby," Draco murmured as he took possession of her mouth again.   
  
Abby bit at his lower lip and tugged. "Words do not even begin to express the feelings I have for you, Malfoy."  
  
Draco quickly kicked off his pants and started in at Abby's jaw.  
  
Abby felt herself sink into his bed as he kissed up her jaw to her ear. Draco kissed and sucked at her left earlobe, then trailed wet kisses down her neck. His hot breath against her neck was making Abby feel more comfortable than she had in a long while.  
  
Draco kissed down her perfect breast, cupping the other and flicking his thumb over her nipple. He took her hard nipple into his mouth, and Abby emitted a moan. Draco licked at the underside tenderly and unexpectedly would take a nip at her nipple. His tongue was god sent, and Abby wanted more. She looked down at him. She'd taken off his tie, his shirt, and his pants, but he was still so very clothed. Then again so was she. As though Draco were reading her mind, his hands slipped up her skirt. He kissed down her stomach as he massaged her thighs. He withdrew his hands from within her skirt and she looked at him, somewhat surprised that he'd stopped.  
  
Draco grinned at her and pulled her skirt down her shapely legs. There was nothing left on her now but lacy black underwear. They weren't skimpy, yet they weren't completely chaste. He flicked his fingers under the fabric on the sides of her hips and pulled the last remaining shred of clothing down her legs as well, before throwing them unceremoniously off the bed behind him. Draco set his eyes upon her. She was his prize, his utterly loathsome love.  
  
Draco parted Abby's thighs simply by trailing his fingers down her inner thigh. Abby had a look of longing in her intensely green eyes. Draco allowed his godly fingers to graze over her sex, before pushing two of them inside of her. Instantly he felt Abby clench around him. Her head was back on her pillow and she let out another moan. Her moans had become the sweetest sound to Draco. Hearing her was arousing him even more. He thrusted his fingers inside of her, feeling her hot wetness. He crooked his finger inside her and she bucked.  
  
"Malfoy.." he heard her moan.. "Gods, I want your t--"  
  
But her words were cut off by a moan initiated by his next action. He'd pulled his fingers from inside her and replaced them with his tongue. He licked her, bit her ever so gently, teased. Abby was in heaven. He truly was an Adonis. His tongue was making her shake. It dipped inside of her, and slid along her. How could she have gone so long without this? His mouth was precious. The muscle inside was giving her pleasure beyond any she'd ever felt. She bucked up again, feeling herself get hotter and hotter as she came into his mouth. He lapped his tongue between her legs before climbing up her body. His gorgeous lips glistened with her juices and he engaged her in a hungry, yet tender, kiss. Abby could taste herself on him and she slid her hands down Draco's naked sides. The flawless skin on his chest was so tight across his muscles. She longed to kiss his body.   
  
Draco was taken by utter surprise. Abby, for such a small framed person was very strong. She'd flipped him over onto his backside. She begain kissing down his chest. She let her tongue dip onto the skin of his abdomen. Draco watched her descend towards his legs. Abby took the waistband of Draco's green boxers between her teeth. Draco groaned as he watched her carefully pull it over his arousal. She pulled them off of him and threw them on the floor.   
  
Abby had the most innocent look on her face as she positioned her head over Draco's penis. Her eyes still on him, she took the head of his manhood into her mouth. Draco groaned automatically at the feeling of her warm mouth on him. He tried not to lean his head back. He wanted to watch Abby as long as he could.  
  
She rubbed her tongue along the underside of the head and Draco moaned loudly, now running his hands through Abby's soft hair. Gently he pushed down on her head and she descended down his hard shaft. She worked more of his erect member into her mouth, tightening her lips around him. She pumped him slowly, but gradually increased her speed, occasionally flicking her tongue snakily over the tip. Draco watched her lick him from the tip to the base, until he threw his head back. Her mouth was so warm.. wet.. soft. Her tongue felt so good on him, and his loud groans were proof. But if she kept going, he'd embarrass himself to the point of early madness.  
  
"Lynch.. you need to quit before it's all.." a groan interrupted him, "over.."  
  
Abby gave a strong lollipop-strength suck, from which Draco grunted, and she laid on his chest. Once his breathing had steadied a bit more, Draco flipped her onto his back. He grinned and kissed her passionately, sliding his tongue along her smooth teeth.  
  
Again he parted her legs with his fingers, as Abby's hands slid down his sides again. He positioned himself so her legs were against his hips. With a look of longing, Draco kissed her, at the same time, pushing himself forward and entering Abby quickly.  
  
Draco groaned into Abby's mouth. She was so hot and tight around him, and he could feel her entire body tighten. His tongue played at her neck and he thrust himself into her. A squeak issued from Abby's beautifully curved lips, followed by a soft moan. Draco's hands were on Abby's hips, but they slowly slid to her arse. He pulled her against him and she let out a moan of pleasure and surprise. She crashed his lips against hers and ground himself into her. The feeling of being completely inside of her had made him feel so much hotter. Abby gripped his back and rocked with him.  
  
Draco's hands were in every perfect place. His thrusts were in rhythm with the movement of her own body. His lips were soft against her neck and Abby could feel his member pulsating inside of her. She grinned and flipped him onto his back again.  
  
Draco was taking by storm at the incredibly erotic site of Abby Lynch straddling him. She ran her hand through her hair and let it trail down her breast and then her stomach. She lifted herself up on his cock. He felt a tug and quickly started to think of something the completele opposite of sexy. He had a hard time doing this. Abby was rocking on top of him and moaning loud enough to wake the entire Slytherin population of Hogwarts. Draco slid his hands down her sides and held onto her hips, thrusting up into her and making her scream out in exaltation. She lifted herself off of his cock entirely and then plunged downward onto it again, causing both of them to yell.  
  
Draco grabbed her and threw her onto her back once more. He pounded into her quickly, feeling their sweat mingling between their sandwiched bodies. Abby could feel her pleasure rising into her stomach. Her eyes were almost half closed as she slid her hands to Draco's arse and pushed him into her more. His mouth was partly open and he occasionally would kiss and lick at Abby's lips. His concentration was set on grinding into her now though.   
  
Thoughts in his head didn't make sense. She was beautiful. She was erotic. She was hot and tight around him. She was amazing. Yet he had to hate her. He had to.   
  
He didn't.  
  
Abby's thoughts were just as mixed. He was perfect. He had absolutely no flaws in anything that he did. He knew how to make her feel like her entire body was on fire. He was throbbing inside of her. His eyes were half-hooded and he was plain sexy. She wanted to hate him. It proved so very difficult.  
  
Abby was clenching and unclenching around him. Her legs were shaking and she threw her head back, squirming beneath him.  
  
"Draco! Oh Gods.. Draco.."  
  
She'd come first, and her moans and the feeling of her orgasm around him made him feel yet another hard tug on his cock. This time it led him to his own ecstasy. Draco groaned loudly as he poured into her, and buried his face in Abby's hair. She smelled sweet; like her own scent as well as both mixtures of their sweat.  
  
"Abby.."  
  
His voice was low and desirable. His breath was completely uneven against her neck and his eyes rolled in his head. He pulled himself out of her slowly and rolled off of her, his chest heaving. Abby quickly pulled him back onto her. Draco's forehead was resting against hers, and their breath mingled between their mouths. Draco closed the gap between them by kissing her tenderly. Abby kissed him back, her hand on his face. She pulled away from his face slowly. The intensity in Draco's eyes was unmatchable. His silvery blonde strands of hair fell in front of his eyes and cradled his flawless face as though it were some sort of halo. He rested his head under her chin and they lied together until sleep claimed them.  
  
---  
  
"I do not often deal with other's personal affairs," a cold voice drawled.  
  
"I know, My Lord. But this won't take much effort. The boy has a weakness. His loyalty to me wavered in a way I'd have never expected. He deserves this. And the girl's parents defied you." The second voice did not match the first with malice, but it's intentions seemed just as cruel.  
  
The first man grinned without the use of his hideous slit of a mouth. Instead the smile reached only his bright red eyes. He was no man. 


	12. Mild Confession

Draco awoke first. The chilly atmosphere of the dungeons were unchanging. It was always dark in his dormitory. The only way of knowing the time was by the small clock on his bed side table. It was 6:30 in the afternoon. He groaned quietly. Draco and Abby had practically ran to his room right after breakfast. Their actions had tired them out for longer than he had expected. He sighed before gazing down at the sleeping figure next to him. Draco's silken black sheets clung to Abby's curves. Her light brown hair was slightly in her face, and her expression was relaxed and calm. Draco felt another familiar pang in his stomach. He shook himself quickly of it, though. He leaned on his side for a moment, gently sliding his hand down her side. His sheets were so thin, yet they were hiding so much of her. He could still see the tops of her breasts though. He grinned and leaned down over her face, placing a kiss on her soft forehead. It meant nothing, he told himself. Perhaps a pity kiss for what he planned to do next. Pushing himself up, he left his bed. Draco dressed quietly and left his dormitory; the door clicking closed every so quietly.  
  
---  
  
Abby let out a soft 'hmm' noise as she rolled onto her stomach. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was thankful for the darkness of Draco's dormitory. She lifted her head off of the cushiony mattress. Draco wasn't with her. On some level she had expected him to leave, so she wasn't at all surprised. Abby snuggled her face into one of the pillows on his bed. She couldn't help it. His bed really was comfortable. Perhaps it really was fluffy, as much as Draco had protested against that prospect. Abby slowly got up, holding the soft sheets around her body loosely. She stared down at the floor. Even in the dimness she could see spots on the floor that were darker than the actual carpetting. She sighed remembering her ripped shirt. Abby grinned as she wondered what kind of hissy fit Draco would throw if he saw one of his designer white oxford shirts missing. She giggled and pushed herself off of his bed. She dressed in all of her clothes except her torn shirt. Abby picked her wand up from the floor and muttered 'Lumos!' She made her way over to Draco's wardrobe and opened it's wooden doors. She grabbed a random white shirt off of a hanger and slipped her arms through the sleeves. It was big on her, but comfortable and soft. It amused her that Draco had something that wasn't as hard as he made his exterior out to be. She buttoned up her, Draco's rather, shirt and left his dormitory. She closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened her eyes her appearance had changed. She was now completely unrecognisable. She didn't want to leave looking like a Gryffindor. It was a simple precaution. Once she was out of the common room she changed back into herself and walked to the Great Hall.  
  
---  
  
The lake was a dark grey color in reflection of the sky. The clouds above were foreboding as they slowly swirled in their threat to rain down onto the grounds. Draco grinned as he remembered the look on Abby's face before he fell asleep. Her eyes were hooded, and her breathing was hard and somewhat shaky. Some of her hair stuck to her lightly sweat-glazed chest. Her lips were somewhat red and swollen. Draco thought she looked perfect. Thoroughly well-fucked.  
  
The coming evening was bound to be rainy and miserable. There was an unnatural fog all around him, and it seemed to be thickening. Draco could feel the cold air through the material of his robes. He decided going to dinner was the best idea, even if it involved seeing Abby after... enjoying her company earlier in his dorm.  
  
---  
  
Harry dropped his glass of pumpkin juice and the icy orange contents spilled all over the table. "Ron! Hermione! Look at this!" Ron and Hermione leaned in around him automatically and looked at the Daily Prophet. "More escaped Death Eaters. ...Malfoy is one of them."  
  
"Well I doubt he has much of a following with the Ministry now," Hermione said to the two. "He'll be caught. They'll all be caught."  
  
Ron blinked at her. "Since when are you so sure?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Or we can all be morbid, useless children about it and cringe when someone says Voldemort."  
  
Surely enough, Ron twitched.  
  
"Voldemort" Hermione purred.  
  
"Stop it," Ron muttered.  
  
"Vooooldemort," she said again, her eyes shining with glee.  
  
Ron jumped. "Stop it!"  
  
"VoldievoldievoldievoldieVOLDEMORT!" She whispered across Harry so Ron could still hear.  
  
Ron blinked at her again. "Honestly, Hermione. That's the freakiest thing you've ever done to me. What's wrong with you?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Voldemort could have killed Harry a bunch of times and he hasn't."  
  
Harry and Ron both looked at her. "Hermione, I don't think Voldemort is having second thoughts on my well-being."  
  
"Oh so you're just All-Mighty, then? More powerful than him?" Hermione grinned as she spoke.  
  
Harry stared blankly at her. "Are you.. feeling well?"  
  
"We all know Voldemort is a coward. He went to kill a helpless little baby because he didn't want a challenge. And now, Harry, you're in your seventh year. Perhaps he just wants you to have a full education!" Hermione giggled.  
  
"Oh good lord, she's possessed." Ron shook his head.  
  
Harry nodded as Abby walked up. "Hey Abby."  
  
"Morning," she smiled.  
  
"Where were you today?" Ginny asked curiously.  
  
Abby almost missed her seat. She regained her composure and attempted sitting down again. "I uhm.. er.. am really bad at lying?"  
  
Harry and Ron chuckled. Ginny was giving Abby an odd look. "You weren't in any of our classes, and I didn't see you in the common room at all. ..Or at lunch."  
  
"Ginny, you're not in any of our classes..." Harry trailed off.  
  
"Ginny.. what are you doing?" Ron asked, a bit of fear in his tone.  
  
"Finishing homework," she said not lifting her eyes or quill from her parchment, now.   
  
"Yes, you've been finishing homework a lot lately," he continued.  
  
Ginny flipped a page in her book. "Mhm. Yes. Shh. I need to do this."  
  
"YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Ron said in a deep thundering voice.  
  
Everyone on the two tables next to the table where Ron sat looked at him.  
  
"You're her! She's you! I know it! You.. you.. you NAUGHTY GIRLS!" Ron was frantically pointing his finger at each of them in turn.  
  
Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder. "Two questions, mate. What exactly are you going on about? And what kinds of objects have you been sticking up your nose? I think they're affecting your brain."  
  
Ron shook his head. "Nonono. Don't you see it? Ginny is acting all.. Hermione-ish. And Hermione.. she's acting like Ginny."  
  
The two girls smiled at one another. "Not so loud, Ron," Ginny said over her book, a malicious grin adourning her features.  
  
Hermione looked at Ron. "Smart boy, my brother."  
  
Harry blinked. "Are you trying to sound 'hip' when you say that.. or are you Ginny?"  
  
The Supposedly-Hermione laughed. "Shh. And yes, I'm Ginny."  
  
Ron and Harry and Abby all blinked. "Polyjuice? ..But for what?" Abby asked.  
  
"Well, about a month ago, Ginny said she was having problems in Potions. We collaborated on her homework.. and that didn't work. So I decided we'd just brew up some Polyjuice potion and use it if we need to. Today, for instance, I took Ginny's Potions test. And this book?" Hermione-As-Ginny pointed to it. "This is actually MY homework. Hense why my nose is glued to this parchment. Or was."  
  
Ron opened and closed his mouth. He did this four more times. Then he turned to Harry and Abby. "She says this like it's the most normal thing in the world."  
  
Abby and Harry chuckled. Then someone caught her eye. Draco had just walked towards his house table. He'd been perfectly keen not to look at her. Harry noticed Abby's sudden quietness. His features looked tense.  
  
"Abby I want to talk to you," he said. "Later," he added when Ginny.. Hermione.. one of them, looked up.  
  
Abby felt a familiar pang in her stomach and she nodded. "Actually.. if you don't mind. How about right now?"  
  
Harry nodded. "We'll see you guys later."  
  
The two of them got up and walked out together. Draco, across the Hall noticed this, and glared. What the hell was going on? And WHY was his chicken so fucking cold? Malfoy Defiance of Authority: Eating chicken below 26.66 degrees celcius.  
  
Harry and Abby started their conversation behind the statue of a very large, very creepy boar. "I'm not completely blind, you know. This scar doesn't affect my sight." Harry's arms were folded across his chest.  
  
Abby sighed. "I don't want to discuss this."  
  
Harry's brow furrowed above his circular-framed glasses. "We're friends, Abby. And something is bothering you. You can tell me-- oh GODS. Don't tell me."  
  
Abby blinked. "What?"  
  
"You love Malfoy!" He said in a frantic whisper.  
  
"That's going a little far, Harry," Abby said grabbing his arm and trying to calm him.  
  
"You like Malfoy!" He said only slightly more calm.  
  
"...That's going a little far, Harry." Abby grinned. "Look it's nothing. It's just an attraction. Really. Nothing for you to fret about."  
  
Harry had sadness in his emerald eyes. He nodded at her. "All right. I won't say anything."  
  
Abby smirked. "Yes you will. Ron and Hermione?"  
  
"Okay.. so maybe I will. Unless you really don't want me to..." He raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Mleh.. just.. don't say anything to them for now. There really isn't anything going on." Abby shook her shoulders slightly.  
  
"Where were you today, Ab?" Harry asked quickly.  
  
"Draco's dormitory," she answered just as fast.  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
Abby grinned. "Quiet, you." 


	13. Whispers

There was no one in the common room except for Abby, Harry, and Ron. Hermione had gotten annoyed with the three of them talking so loudly that she'd gone to her dormitory to finish her Arithmancy chart.  
  
"Hermione can be normal, you know. Just not on weekdays. Or weekends when she does extra credit..." Ron stated.  
  
"Which is every weekend," Harry added.  
  
Abby chuckled. "She seems busy. But at least she's enjoying it. I think..."  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. "She enjoys it," they said in unison.  
  
Abby giggled again. "I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight you guys."  
  
"G'night," Ron said.  
  
Harry just gave a smile as she left. Ron grinned at him in a mischievous manner. He leaned over and rested his arms on his legs.  
  
"Guessing Cho is completely out of the picture," he said with his ginger eyebrows raised.  
  
Harry looked at him disbelievingly. "Cho has been out of the picture for a long time. What's your point?"  
  
"My point, my relationshiply challenged friend, is that you like Abby." Ron looked far too excited about this.  
  
"You're calling me relationshiply challenged? The last girl you kissed was Hermione. It was on the cheek and you told her you had a contageous skin disease that'd make her lips swell up." Harry grinned.  
  
Ron looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm. It was really strange when that actually happened. She was in the infirmary for a while, huh?"  
  
Harry nodded and chuckled. "Besides.. the thing with Abby.. I mean there is no thing.. well there is a thing.. just, not with me."  
  
Ron furrowed his brow. "What are you going on about?"  
  
"It's nothing. Nevermind. I'm just going to go to bed." Harry got up off the couch and began walking toward the boys' dormitories.  
  
"Yes, Harry, because I'm really not curious anymore," Ron said from across the room. Harry turned and faced him, letting out a sigh. Ron smiled. "Do you like Abby?"  
  
There was a moment where Harry just thought; staring off into the space between Ron and himself. He thought of how nice he'd been when Abby told him about Malfoy. God, he hated him. Of all people, why did Abby have to fool around with that git? Harry sighed and focused on Ron.  
  
"You know the answer, Ron."  
  
---  
  
Draco was having the strangest of dreams. It was coming in images; each that of the past, only slightly more twisted. His sixth birthday party had been ruined. The clown was far too scary and the cake wasn't chocolate. Then his father slapped his mother across the face. A little girl stole a cookie and chucked it at young Draco's head. Draco stepped on her foot and dug his heel into her toes. She screamed. Suddenly she was an eleven year old Hermione Granger, and telling Draco that she thought he had the potential of a very good student. Draco snorted at her and walked away, then got sorted into Slytherin. Hermione never talked to him the same way again. Then he ran into Snape who was eyeing a female professor with a look of great desire. His eyes got wide and the corridor tilted, as though the earth were moving. His surroundings changed. Draco was in a familiar hallway now, not alike the one he'd seen Snape in. The hasty changing of scenes in his dream were stopping.   
  
Now the torches in the hallway were flickering, and Draco found himself walking forward. There were two doors on either side of him. He took the left one. When he swung the door open his father greeted him with a smirk. Draco didn't remember this as a memory. He looked down at his hands. They were the same hands as the ones that had touched Abby the day before. He looked back up at his father.  
  
"She's here, Draco," Lucius squeaked.  
  
Draco snorted with laughter. "I'm sorry. What was that?"  
  
Lucius cleared his throat and muttered something that sounded like "The Dark Lord has to teach me to fix that..."  
  
Draco blinked and stared at him. "What is it, Father?"  
  
Lucius gave him a cold stare. "She's here, Draco." It came out in his tone this time. Frigid and drawling.  
  
Draco woke up. He blinked in the darkness and rolled his eyes at the snoring coming from Crabbe and Goyle's beds.  
  
Draco got up and walked over to one of the curtained beds. He wrenched open the material.  
  
"What? What? Whossat? Who's there? Mummy?" Trenton said sounding completely lost.  
  
"It's not your 'mummy,' you slag," Draco said hiding a grin.  
  
Trenton squinted. "Why did you wake me up? Having nightmares?"  
  
Draco paused. Well he sort of was. Anything that included a squeaky Lucius and a clown would surely constitute as a nightmare. "No," he said curtly.  
  
"Malfoy, it is too early still. I'm going back to bed." Trenton rolled over and nuzzled his head into his pillow. "Abby.." he whispered into it a few minutes later as he began to drift off into slumber.  
  
Draco's eyes grew wide. "I'm still here, you know. And you need to explain what in bloody hell THAT was before I hex you."  
  
Trenton's eyes opened the second Draco spoke. "..What did I say? You didn't hear.. I mean I.. It was just the beginning of a dream.. I couldn't control it.."  
  
"Mmhmm," Draco said nodding. "And puckering your lips at your pillow."  
  
"Fuck."  
  
"I'd rather you just left the pillow alone," Draco said.  
  
---  
  
Abby tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't sleep if she was hit over the head with a hammer. Okay.. maybe she'd sleep then. But she'd have a bump on her head the next morning. So that was a no-go.  
  
She rolled out of her bed and got dressed. She just needed to walk around for a little while. She had no idea where, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get air. Fresh air is outside. Therefore that's where she'd go. Rocket science.  
  
The air outside was a chill to the bones, but it was in an odd way, utterly soothing. She played with the silver chain that was around her neck. It hadn't always been there. It had been a present she was given when she was very young. She'd had it lying on her bed table for the longest time. It had 'Abby' engraved in the small charm hanging from it that was in the shape of a very tiny broomstick. A cold breeze swept over her again and she shivered. She heard a footstep behind her and turned around to face the towering trees of the Dark Forest. She gasped, seeing a short stubby man in front of her holding a treelimb. He swung it forward and hit her on the head. Abby's hand that had been holding onto her necklace fell, unclasping it and dropping it to the ground as she became unconscious. The man grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her into the forest.  
  
---  
  
"Where's Abby?" Harry asked Hermione and Ginny. Ron grinned, and as a result, got Harry's elbow deep in his stomach.  
  
"She wasn't in my dormitory this morning," Hermione stated.  
  
Ginny's brow was furrowed. "That's strange."  
  
Harry shook his head. "Not really. She might just be at breakfast."  
  
But she wasn't. There was no sign of Abby all day. Harry's stomach knotted up when he'd come to realisation. Abby was with Draco again. To even think about it made him feel sick. Someone caught his eye across the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy was sitting at Slytherin table across from the boy Harry recognised from Quidditch games as Montague. So Abby wasn't with Draco. That's a relief. ..Then where was she?  
  
"Something wrong, Harry?" Ginny asked.  
  
Harry shook his head. Ginny gave a meek smile and went back to eating her pancakes.  
  
"I'm going for a walk. Anyone care to come?" Harry looked around at his friends. They all stared blankly at him. Perhaps it was the shock that he'd asked for company that was so odd. "..Don't jump all at once now."  
  
Ginny snickered. "I'll go along. That is, if you don't mind."  
  
"Why would I mind? I asked, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, Harry. But I'm used to being shunned." Ginny smiled.  
  
"Come on," Harry said chuckling.   
  
The grounds were dry, with no sign of morning dew at all. It was beginning to get very cold, and judging by the gray sky, it seemed as though it might snow later on. Harry and Ginny walked along the outskirts of the Dark Forest wordlessly for a while, before Ginny broke the silence.  
  
"Is there something wrong? You seem pensive and slightly lovesick."  
  
Harry blinked at her. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"  
  
Ginny grinned. "Well, considering you know all about my crush on you when up until about fourth year, I saw the way you looked at Cho--"  
  
"This isn't about Cho," Harry said interrupting.  
  
"No, I know that. Let me finish, won't you?" She raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Go on," Harry said timidly.  
  
"I saw the way you looked at Cho. Now I see the way you look at Abby. I don't even think you notice it. It's the look you get in those annoying green eyes of yours when you look at them. A look you never got by looking at me.."  
  
"Ginny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"  
  
But Ginny cut him off. "It doesn't matter. I don't have those feelings anymore. So stop feeling sorry. You can't help how you feel."  
  
Harry sighed. "I like her a lot. But it's not going to happen."  
  
"Oh stop wallowing in self pity and tell her." Ginny smiled.  
  
"No, Gin. It's not because of that." Harry rubbed his forhead. "It's because she likes Malfoy."  
  
"..Have you gone mad?" Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. She dropped her hand and they faced eachother.  
  
"I know she does, Ginny. The day she was no where around was the day she spent in his dorm room." Harry felt another pang in his stomach.  
  
Ginny blinked. "Oh. Well I guess that explains it." Something sparkled in the grass and caught her eye. "What's that?"  
  
"What's what?" Harry asked, watching Ginny walk past him and pick something up.  
  
"It's a necklace." Ginny examined it. "It's.. Abby's necklace."  
  
Harry walked over and looked at it in Ginny's hands. "I've never seen her wear this. How do you know?"  
  
"Well, I've seen it on her bed table. And look. Her name is engraved in it." Ginny pointed out the small script.  
  
"She's not at Hogwarts." Harry stared into the trees.  
  
"What?" Ginny said looking up at him.  
  
"We need to find Malfoy."  
  
"You're making less and less sense," Ginny said shaking her head. "Unless.. oh."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Come on." 


	14. More Than One Wants To See

"Harry, do you know where you are going?" Ginny asked as they walked down a corridor.  
  
"Yes, I've been to their common rooms before." Harry took a quick left and Ginny swung around to follow him.  
  
"You've been to--"  
  
"I'll explain later. This is it." Harry stared at the stone wall. "Er.. Pureblood?" he spoke unsurely.  
  
The wall didn't move.  
  
"That went well," Ginny said with a slight grin playing across her lips. "Funnily enough, I know the password."  
  
Harry spun around and stared at her. "How do you--"  
  
"Friend of mine came back here with Montague once. She told me the password because she thought it was rather giggle-worthy."  
  
The wall twitched. Harry and Ginny stared.  
  
"Worthy Wizard," Ginny said, and the wall opened for them.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I guess that explains the twitching."  
  
Draco was sprawled out on the couch. There was a smaller, more timid boy sitting on the floor in front of a coffee table doing what seemed to be Draco's homework for the weekend.  
  
"You know you're in hell when Wonderboy walks into the room, accompanied by Wonderbra, who's head's constantly on fire. Wrong common room, Potter, or haven't you noticed?" Draco drawled in a bored manner.  
  
"It's about Abby," Harry said, his voice breaking in anger.  
  
"What bloody isn't these days?" Draco said, sitting upright.  
  
"Malfoy, we wouldn't come here if it wasn't important," Ginny said with a voice much more calm and determined than Harry's.  
  
Draco furrowed his brow and stood up. "Nonsense, that is. I think if it weren't up to your brother, you'd come visit me daily. Or perhaps nightly." His blonde eyebrows were raised as if in inquisition.  
  
"That'll happen when hell freezes over," Ginny chided.  
  
"Who says it hasn't? What is all this sterotyping about Hell being a place with fire and devil horns? Who says it isn't a place with greasy food and circus clowns?"  
  
Ginny and Harry blinked. "You're not entirely well, are you Malfoy? Circus clowns?" Ginny said crossing her arms across her chest and looking him over.  
  
"Would you quit ogling me and tell me why you're here?" Draco said impatiently.  
  
"I found this outside," Harry said dropping the silver chain and letting it dangle slowly in front of Draco's face. Ginny cleared her throat loudly and nudged him in the ribs. Harry quickly added, "We found.. outside. Satisfied?"  
  
Ginny nodded. Draco stared at the necklace without expression. "That's not mine. Silver makes me feel pale." He turned to walk back to the couch.  
  
"Malfoy, it's Abby's. She's not at Hogwarts," Ginny said loudly.  
  
He stopped and turned around slowly. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"We haven't seen her since last night. And we found her necklace by the Dark Forest. It has her name engraved in it. Now we're not pointing fingers or anything but--" Ginny was cut off.  
  
"Your father has something to do with this!" Harry yelled.  
  
Everyone in the common room stared at him. Draco's eyebrows had disappeared into his blonde hair.  
  
"We talked about discretion on our way here, Harry," Ginny growled quietly.  
  
"Oh I see. Because he's my father you decided you'd throw a punch or two at me and get even--" Draco stopped. Suddenly he remembered his dream. He remembered his father and what he'd said about someone being 'here'.. "Nevermind. I know where she is."  
  
Ginny and Harry both blinked. "You what?" they said simultaneously.  
  
"Come with me," he said and he stalked in the other direction.  
  
The two of them hesitantly followed him. The went up a dark flight of stairs and then down a narrow hallway. Draco stopped at the third door on the right and kicked the door open. Ginny raised her eyebrows in an impressed fashion and Harry glared at her. But suddenly both of them heard awkward sounds. ..Sex sounds. And then a surprised scream, followed by Draco's voice.  
  
"Trenton, darling!" Draco said in a mock friendly voice. "Introduce us to your friend!" Draco sat on a chair near Trenton's bed.  
  
Trenton and a very naked girl covered themselves with sheets. "Thank you for knocking," Trenton growled. The blonde girl in his bed let out a loud harumph. "Sorry, Candice," Trenton said half-sincerely. "Draco, what the fuck are you doing?"  
  
Draco looked down at himself in the chair. "I think I might be sitting."  
  
Ginny let out a giggle, and got another icy glare from Harry. She cleared her throat discreetly and grinned in the other direction.  
  
"Abby's missing. But I know where she is," Draco stated calmly.  
  
"Smashing. Now that you know where she is, she isn't missing anymore." Trenton grinned. "Can you leave now?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "She's at my manor, Montague. With my father."  
  
Trenton's brow became furrowed. "I thought your father was in prison."  
  
"Well that's exactly it," Harry said from the doorway. "He isn't. It was in the Daily Prophet yesterday. He's escaped, along with other Death Eaters." Harry threw a glance at Draco. Surprisingly his expression hadn't changed. "Wait a minute.. Malfoy, did you know that?"  
  
"Well I had a feeling," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We have to get there, though. And my father pulled some strings to get a portal from my dormitory to a village store outside our manor. Floo Network, as much as I hate it, is coming in handy right about now. I'm only supposed to use it in emergencies. And I figure this constitutes as one."  
  
"Why though? What would your father do with her?" Trenton asked. The girl named Candice shifted uncomfortably.  
  
Draco remained quiet. He looked over at Harry and Ginny. "Oh, by the way, Potter. I hate you, you ruin everything. Shall we go to my manor now?"  
  
Harry gritted his teeth and looked at Ginny, who was now comfortaly nestled into a chair by the door. "Not without Ron and Hermione."  
  
Draco raised his eyebrows. "What's that?"  
  
"We're not going without Ron and Hermione," he repeated firmly.  
  
"What do they have to do with this?" Draco asked serenly.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Harry never goes to fight evil without them. Didn't you recieve the memo? Power of three!"  
  
Draco grinned at her, and then looked at Harry. "That right? Need them to do your bidding? A bunch of useless, moronic, lowlifes like that?" He said with a knock of his head in Ginny's direction. "No offense," he added with a look of fake concern.  
  
Ginny glared at him. "Harry's right. We're bringing them."  
  
"What if we haven't got time? We're wasting enough right now as it is," Draco said with another shrug of his shoulders.  
  
"If Malfoy has Abby he isn't going to kill her. He's using her as bait," Harry said knowingly.  
  
"Is that in the How To Fight Evil handbook as well?" Draco asked.  
  
"I'm going to go get Ron and Hermione. Try not to bite one another's heads off before I get back," Ginny said as she left.  
  
"Don't worry," Draco said loud enough for her to hear him in the hallway. "I know you don't want to miss seeing that."  
  
The was a groan from the hallway, and then fast paced footsteps as she began to run.  
  
"So what is this sudden interest in Abby? I know you aren't just playing hero for the glory this time. I think you're doing it to win the girl." Draco crossed his arms against his chest.  
  
"It'd be wonderful if you'd just act your age for once, Malfoy." Harry was not going to admit liking Abby to Draco.   
  
A few minutes went by where Trenton moved his feet around under his sheets, Draco dug around his fireplace, and Candice let out an annoyed sigh. Footsteps finally signaled Ginny's return. Ron and Hermione were already fighting about something as they walked towards Draco's dormitory.  
  
"I explained to them what's going on," Ginny said to Harry.  
  
"I'm coming along," Trenton said to Draco, who nodded.  
  
"Bloody right, you're coming. I'm not going to be by myself with these four maggots." Draco straightened up and held a cup of what looked like Floo powder.  
  
Trenton sighed and looked over at Candice. "Stay here until we're all gone." Then Trenton stood up.  
  
Hermione gasped and Ginny let out a meek "you're naked!" and fainted, falling into Harry's arms.  
  
Draco looked amused. Trenton pulled on a pair of boxers and walked over to Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. Harry pulled the unconscious Ginny away from Trenton.  
  
"She'll be fine. Just get dressed, will you?" Harry said defensively.  
  
Trenton shrugged and continued dressing.  
  
"Harry.." Hermione said carefully. "Don't you think this is a bad idea? Waltzing into Malfoy Manor? What if you get killed?"  
  
"No one WALTZES into the Malfoy Manor, I'll tell you that much right now. You can storm out of it.. you can try and sneak into it. But no one, besides my father, ever waltzes." Draco shot a look at Ron. "No skipping either." He walked up to Harry and looked down at Ginny. Then he pulled her out of Harry's arms and spun her over to Trenton, who threw her over his shoulder.  
  
"MALFOY!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione thundered simultaneously.  
  
"Calm down, she'll be fine. We'll splash some water on her face if she doesn't wake up soon. There's a lake on the grounds. Trenton, you first. Just step in and say 'Flembourg's.'"  
  
Trenton nodded and took some Floo powder. He said "Flembourg's" loudly and clearly, then he and Ginny, who was still on his shoulder, went up in green flames. Harry went next, then Hermione, then Ron. Draco walked over to his wardrobe and pulled a dark brown duster over his black shirt. Finally, he stepped into the fireplace as well.  
  
He had a very smug look on his face. "Malfoy Manor," he said as he was dissolved in flame. 


	15. Disappointments

Harry, Ron, and Hermione dusted themselves off. Trenton hadn't bothered. Ginny was still over his shoulder, but twinging slightly.  
  
"Put her down," Harry said hastily.  
  
Trenton did so, and leaned over her. Her eyelids twitched and fluttered open. She was greeted with a dirty-faced Trenton.  
  
"You all right?" he asked in his baritone voice.  
  
Ginny nodded meekly, then looked around when Trenton straightened up. "Where are we?" she asked.  
  
"Flembourg's," Trenton answered. "A shop not too far from Malfoy's manor. Come on." He held out a hand to help her up.  
  
She took it and looked around at the other three as Trenton walked over to the fireplace. "Where's Malfoy?"  
  
"I don't know. He left last," Ron said. "Maybe we should just go without him."  
  
Trenton looked over with his brow furrowed. "You're right. Follow me," was the last thing anyone had expected him to say.  
  
The left through the doors of the dusty shop. The other four followed Trenton down an almost empty street. There was a field, and on the other side, what looked like gates. There wasn't a manor in sight, though.  
  
"Er.. Mont-- Trenton, do you know if this is the right way?" Ginny asked catching up with him.  
  
He nodded. "I've been there before. I'm not so sure how we're going to get in without Draco, though."  
  
"Should we have waited for him? Maybe something happened."  
  
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You honestly think that he can't handle going from one fireplace to another?"  
  
"Well, I know one person who had trouble once.." she said with a glance behind her.  
  
Trenton shook his head. "He didn't go to the same place as us.. on purpose."  
  
Ginny tripped and Trenton grabbed her arm, holding her up and pulling her along. "What do you mean 'on purpose'?"  
  
He let go of her arm. "I mean.. he thinks he can do this without our help. I know as well as he does that his fireplace is connected to his home as well. Not just the village near it."  
  
Ginny scrunched up her nose. "Slimy sneak.."  
  
"He thinks it'll give him enough time to find Abby himself." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "And maybe he will. But we're still going."  
  
---  
  
Draco stood in the fireplace and dusted himself off. It didn't do much good, but he felt slightly better. He stepped into the drawing room of his manor.  
  
"Hello, son. I knew you'd come visit me sooner or later," Lucius said grinning from one side of a long black wooden table.  
  
"Greetings, Dad!" Draco said cheerily.  
  
Lucius blinked. He opened his mouth, but apparently was lost for words. He cleared his throat. Then, surprising even himself, still had nothing to say.  
  
"What's wrong, Pa? Did the kiddy you kidnapped get your tongue?" Draco sat down at the table and propped his feet up.  
  
"Are you disrespecting me?" Lucius said coldly, staring at his son in astonishment.  
  
Draco looked at himself. "Probably." He shrugged.  
  
"I suppose you're wondering where you're girlfriend is," Draco's father said, a cold smirk playing across his lips.  
  
Draco pointed a finger at him. "You know! I'm not, actually. Considering I don't have a girlfriend." He chastised his father with a smile.  
  
"Your attitude is dispicable, Draco. I will not tolerate this. You know exactly what I mean. Follow me." Lucius turned around and his dark robes swished.  
  
Draco followed, making sure his expression was unreadable. They walked into the fencing room. Abby was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. She was unconscious.  
  
"Here she is," Lucius said.  
  
"What? You mean you aren't going to blindfold me or spin me around anything? You're just going to.. show her to me? Bloody hell, Father. You gave up really easily." Draco knew he was getting to his dad. It was only a matter of time before he'd get himself cursed. Draco knew what he was doing though.  
  
Lucius pulled out his wand, but he didn't point it at Draco. He pointed it at Abby. "I have no use for her. She's served her purpose. Avada Kedavra!"  
  
---  
  
The five of them.. though separated into two groups, made their way across the field. The grass seemed to get grayer as they approached the gates. Finally they reached them. Black iron bars weaved in all directions, almost like some disturbing spiderweb. It intricately formed the letter 'M' in the middle. The entire property seemed to be bordered with high cement walls. It wasn't at all picturesque. Ginny went to walk up to the gate, when a strong arm shot out in front of her chest and pushed her back.  
  
"Careful. It isn't only iron keeping us from getting in there," Trenton said cautiously. He whipped out his wand. "Invenio!"  
  
A silver light came out of his wand as though it were being sprayed. He guided the light over to the wall and let it wash over it. Sparks began issuing from the wall. "Quiesco!" he muttered, and the sparks stopped.  
  
"All right," he said firmly, turning around and facing the others. "We need to climb the wall. It's the only safe way in."  
  
The other four looked up at the wall reluctantly. It had to be twenty feet.  
  
"And when we get to the top.. what do you suppose we do? Jump? Break a few bones?" Ron retored testily.  
  
Trenton shrugged. "Yeah. Come on. I'll go first."  
  
Finding all the right holes in the wall, Trenton climbed. Once he got on the other side he eased himself down. The others heard a thump as he jumped down, probably from halfway down the wall.  
  
Ginny went next. Once she got to the top her foot slipped.  
  
"Ginny!" Ron called.  
  
THUD.  
  
Ginny was sprawled out on the ground. There was a body underneath her.  
  
Trenton panted. "You're pressing into a very important area. I suggest you move." Ginny quickly scurried off of him. He had a pained look on his face.  
  
"Are you all right?" she asked.  
  
"I'm fine. Just tell them to start coming over the wall." He clutched one of his sides.  
  
Ginny told the others to hurry up. Then she looked around her. It was nothing like she thought it would be. Looking through the gates you couldn't see anything but vacant lifeless land. Now she saw a lake.. green grass.. existence of life. Not at all what she'd expected. Across the lake was a huge mansion. It looked well kept, although the walls were black. There were even white flowers along the bank of the lake.  
  
"There's a lot of magic at work here," Trenton said from behind her. "A lot of hired help also."  
  
Ginny turned around. Hermione was making her way down the wall. Ron and Harry were also inside, and staring around in awe.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick," Ron said clutching his stomach. "This place is.. it's.. I have no bloody idea."  
  
Hermione hopped onto the ground and when she looked around she gasped. "Oh my.."  
  
"Come on.. we need to find Draco." He started walking towards the edge of the lake. Walking around it led to the manor's doors, which, unlike the landscape, looked quite unwelcoming.  
  
Trenton opened the door once they reached it. It swung open without trouble. Ginny walked up from behind him.  
  
"That seemed easy.."  
  
Trenton looked down at her. "He was expecting us. Well.. he was expecting Draco. He probably knows we're here too. It would have been much more difficult to even get over that wall if he weren't hoping for anyone to sneak in."  
  
Ginny followed him in. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were behind them. Their wands were out.   
  
"I feel stupid," Harry whispered to Hermione.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"When do we follow a Slytherin into a Death Eater's house?" Harry raised his eyebrows at her.  
  
"Did I not bring that up before we left? But you want to help Abby. That's why you're here." Hermione looked around corners as they entered the manor. It was dark except for a flickering light at the end of the hallway. There was artwork on the walls, each of a different scowling man.   
  
"Do you think there are happy people in this family? Maybe a chance of a puppy dog?" Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione.  
  
Trenton stopped. He heard voices. He motioned for the others to remain quiet.  
  
Draco couldn't move. He was staring at Abby. The force of the spell had knocked her chair over. She was still tied to it. Her hair had fallen into her face and she was utterly lifeless. Draco's teeth were gritted. His hands were shaking in his pockets. The hand grasping his wand was slippery with sweat.  
  
"Why didn't you save her, Draco? Why didn't you jump in front of her chair? Hex me? Anything?" Lucius had a manic grin on his face. "I'll tell you why, son. Because you are incapable."  
  
Draco felt sick. He looked at his father, and he noticed he was panting. "Why should I even ask what you mean? I know you're going to tell me."  
  
Lucius smirked. "When you were born, I was able to give you certain qualities. Those were resourcefulness, determination, cleverness," he grit his teeth as he continued, "..wit. I was also able to give you qualities most humans do not possess. Strength of mind beyond what is normal and the incapability to feel."  
  
Draco felt rage rising in his stomach. His father continued as though in a conversation over tea.  
  
"You cannot love, Draco. You fooled yourself in coming here. This entire rescue mission was a losing battle. You don't love this girl. You never would have. But now you are here, and I wish to speak with you." Lucius clasped his hands in front of him. "Now. When I was sent to Azkaban, I thought I'd see you at least try to free me.. to visit me. I'd hoped you'd delve into my unfinished work. Find the Dark Lord.. save your family. You did not do this."  
  
Draco saw something in the corner of his eye as he stared at his father. The words weren't coming in so clearly anymore. He took a glance at Abby. Something funny was happening to her.  
  
"You are a disappointment, Draco. You have done nothing to assist me or our kind of people. You even diddled a Gryffindor. How touching." Lucius continued speaking to him, but no longer looking at him.  
  
Abby's hair was getting shorter. Her nose was elongating and she was getting taller. She was now in the form of a man who Draco did not recognise. He pulled his wand on his father and shouted "Expelliarmus!" before he could think to protect himself.  
  
Lucius flew backwards and hit the wall with such force that he was knocked out. Trenton, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all ran into the room.  
  
"Thanks for all the help," Draco said in an annoyed tone.  
  
"Well you were the one who sent us a couple miles from here. Didn't you WANT to do this on your own?" Ginny raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Who's that?" Ron asked, pointing to the man in the chair.  
  
Draco shrugged. "I haven't a clue. He's dead though. Apparently he's someone my father gave Polyjuice Potion to, so he'd look like Abby. He tried to make me think he'd killed her."  
  
"Where's Abby then?" Harry asked.  
  
Draco sighed. "I don't know. But we need to do something with him." He knocked his head in his father's direction.   
  
Hermione picked up his wand and snapped it in half. Then she pointed her own at him. Ropes flew out and wrapped around him firmly, gagging him as well. She muttered another incantation and a cage that seemed to be made of white light surrounded him. "That should keep him."  
  
Draco blinked. "Are you sure you don't want to glue his arse to the floor or anything? Handcuff him? Find Umbridge and make her sit on him?"  
  
She glared at him before looking at Harry. "We need to search the place for Abby. If she isn't here.. do you have any idea where she could be?"  
  
"Again, Granger, I don't KNOW. Come on. Let's search the house. Well there are six of us. The four of you get along, and Trenton and I get along... usually. So let's just split up that way."  
  
Ginny made a funny noise in her throat. "I can go with you guys. Make it even?"  
  
Draco stared at her. Trenton grinned and spoke. "All right. Us three and you three."   
  
Ron glared. "Ginny, are you sure--"  
  
"I'm positive," she said firmly.  
  
"You guys search upstairs. Don't.. get yourselves lost. It's hard enough finding one person in this place. And we should try and get out of here before my father wakes up. Then again all we need to do is ask Granger to bang his head against the wall a couple of times." Draco grinned.  
  
Hermione scowled at him. Ron had a dreamy look in his eye. "Ahh.. the Wrath of Hermione." She elbowed him in the stomach.  
  
---  
  
"Where are we going, Malfoy?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Cellar," he said simply.   
  
"Is that next to the burrowing dragon, bottomless pit, or inescapable dungeons?" She grinned at Trenton.  
  
Draco continued walking quickly. "Dungeons actually. The other two are at our summer house."  
  
Ginny snorted. Trenton frowned. "I'm funny!"  
  
She blinked. "..I'm sorry, what?"  
  
"Nevermind.." he muttered softly, redness creeping into his face.  
  
Draco kicked up the rug. It didn't seem as though anything were underneath. Then he got on his knees and felt around. His right hand pushed down on an ordinary stone slab and it moved aside, revealing stairs. The three of them descended into the darkness beneath the manor. 


	16. The Dungeon, the Snake, and the Wardobe

With Ginny's first inhalation she got a mouth full of air thick with dust and cobwebs. She coughed all over someone's shoulder. Draco let out an annoyed sigh.  
  
"You are a queen of exaggeration, Weasley," he groaned. "Lumos!"  
  
Ginny glared at him once she could see him. "I wasn't," she coughed again, "exaggerating. I figured being the Prince of Darkness that you are, this place would be cleaner."  
  
"Because Princes of Darkness always dust their dungeons?" He asked in a growl.  
  
"No, Ginny said, becoming fed up. "Because you'd use your dungeons a bit more often. To torture people.. perhaps force them to give up their candy or something."  
  
"That was only once," Trenton chimed in. "And I was forcing HIM to give me his candy."  
  
Ginny snorted. Draco turned around and looked at her blankly. Then he resumed walking forward, holding his wand out in front of him. Ginny suddenly stopped. Trenton, who had been walking behind her, bumped into her.  
  
"What's the matter? Why've you stopped?" He asked looking over her shoulder in the darkness.  
  
Ginny blinked. "There.. there's something.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's something in my bra." She stood absolutely still.  
  
"Hah. Well I know I'm not wrong with this one. Could it perhaps be a breast?" Trenton grinned.  
  
"It.. it tickles.." Ginny said.  
  
Trenton suddenly became aware of a feeling below his abdomen. "It.. I'm sorry what?"  
  
"Get it out," Ginny said. "Get it out! Get it out!" She spun around and faced him. Neither of them could see a thing.  
  
"Uhm.. what do you want me to--"  
  
"JUST GET IT OUT PLEEEEASE?!" Ginny was frantic and hopping.  
  
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Trenton extended his hand over Ginny's shirt and pulled it out a bit. He peeked inside.  
  
Ginny stared at him in the blackness. "Hmm. From all the stories I'd heard.. I figured you'd be a bit more manuevering than this."  
  
"Quiet. I think I see it." He flicked his finger quickly along her skin. "It's gone."  
  
"Was it a--"  
  
"Spider. Yes. And it seemed pretty big," Trenton added. "Now we need to catch up with Malfoy."  
  
Ginny nodded slowly.  
  
"...Ginny, walk," Trenton said.  
  
"Oh.. right." She spun around and pulled out her wand, lighting the end of it. She saw Draco not far ahead. Ginny and Trenton caught up with him quickly.  
  
"All of the cells are empty," he said with a sigh. "We should go see if the others have found anything."  
  
Ginny's heart thudded against her ribs. Trenton could feel her shaking through her hand that had just lashed out and grabbed his wrist. "Malfoy.. these cells aren't empty."  
  
There were people in them. Half decomposed, chained to the walls of the cell, and hanging lifeless. Some looked as though they were wearing no clothes. But thin dead skin still hung to their bones around their thin bony chests. Even the cleanest skeletons still had bits of muscle attached. The stench was incredible, and Ginny wondered how they hadn't smelled it before. She let out a meek squeak and Trenton pulled her away from the cold iron bars. Ginny's face was buried in his shirt and he walked backwards pulling her with him.  
  
"We need to get her out of here," he said quietly to Draco in his low voice.  
  
Draco nodded and began leading the way down the narrow, congested corridor. Trenton heard a muffled sob come from Ginny. He felt slightly awkward all of a sudden. He patted her back.  
  
"Shh. It's all right you can open your eyes," he said in his soothing baritone. But she wouldn't budge. She simply clung to him. He sighed and picked her up, holding her like an overgrown baby. Draco reached the steps and Trenton followed him. When they were back in the house Draco turned and looked at his friend.  
  
He blinked. "What the hell? Is this a kiddie towing game?"  
  
"She was scared, Draco. Have a heart," Trenton put her down and she immediately faced the other way. She wiped tears impatiently out of her eyes.  
  
Draco sneered. "I don't have one." He stalked in the other direction.  
  
---  
  
"This house is too bloody big," Harry panted as the three ran down the corridors.   
  
"In here! Harry! Ron! Come look at this!" Hermione's voice came from.. dammit, somewhere.  
  
"Where are you, Hermione?!" Ron called, looking around at the walls and ceiling.  
  
Harry blinked at him. "Ron, she's in a room. Not flying around your nose. Come on. I think she's in here."  
  
Harry entered a room, Ron behind him. It was dark, and the silhouette of a large four poster bed loomed by the window. Hermione was standing by what looked like a wardrobe. Harry and Ron walked over.  
  
"What is it?" Ron asked.  
  
---  
  
Draco stopped mid-stride. Room.. senses.. tingling. He turned around and headed toward the grande staircase and went to the left.  
  
"There.. is a Mudblood.. in.. my room," he panted gruffly.  
  
He swung around into his room and stared blankly at them. He turned on the light and continued to look at the three.  
  
"Why.. are you in here?" He asked slightly panicky.  
  
Harry and Ron grinned at one another. "Afraid we are going to sift through your drawers? Pull out a pair of pink briefs?" Ron said crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Shut up, Weasley, you aren't funny. And what are you looking at my wardrobe for, Granger?" Draco stalked over to her.  
  
"That light." She pointed to the crack between the doors of the wardrobe. "Don't you see it?"  
  
Draco looked over her shoulder. "Faintly."  
  
"Open it, Hermione," Harry said.  
  
Hermione nodded and did so. Suddenly she was sucked inside, along with Draco. Harry and Ron looked at eachother, and dove into the wardrobe after them. Their heads knocked into the hard wood at the back.  
  
"This is the second time this has happened to us. Why can't people just TAKE US ALONG?!" Ron rubbed his head.  
  
"Be thankful it isn't brick, like last time," Harry said, massaging his arm. He started to feel around the wood. "I know! Get up, Ron." The two got up and stared at the open wardrobe until Harry closed the doors again. "Do you see that silvery light now?"  
  
Ron nodded.  
  
"Okay.. here goes," Harry wrenched the doors open again. The two of them were sucked inside, landing hard on stone slabs.  
  
---  
  
Trenton lied Ginny down on a couch. It didn't look comfortable at all. He sat down on a chair near her.  
  
"This place is like Hell," Ginny said softly.  
  
Trenton nodded. He wasn't sure what else to say. He'd been here since he was little. His father and Lucius were relatively good mates. Sure, the dungeon was a freaky place, but it wasnt really a place Draco and he went very much. Of course, curiosity had led them down there before. But most of the prisoners were alive then. They were sick, starving, and tortured, yes. But they were alive.  
  
"You look tired," Trenton said to her.  
  
She nodded. "I'm afraid to close my eyes. What I saw in Draco's playpen will come back to me."  
  
Trenton grinned and pulled his wand out of his pocket.  
  
Ginny blinked. "What are you doing?"  
  
"When I was little I'd have nightmares all the time. My mum would put a spell on me so I'd sleep more peacefully. Do you want me to place it on you?" Trenton raised his eyebrows slightly.  
  
Ginny spoke while failing to stifle a yawn. "But we.. we need to find.. find Abby."  
  
"I doubt a short nap will hurt. I can always go look for her myself," Trenton added.  
  
"No! ..I mean.. I don't want to be asleep in this place by myself. What if Lucius gets out?" Ginny shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"Well that's the beauty of the spell. Doesn't matter how long you're under it, you still feel rested. And I'll stay with you if it makes you feel better." He twirled his wand in his hand.  
  
Ginny nodded. "All right then."  
  
He put the tip of his wand at the top of her head and muttered "Somnus!" quietly.  
  
Ginny's eyes closed slowly. She nuzzled into the couch as though it was the most comfortable thing in the world. Trenton watched her for a moment.  
  
She wasn't the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Freckles splashed her nose and her eyelashes weren't very long. Her lips were in between plumpness and smallness. When open, her eyes were a muddy brown, not as warm as his. But there was something about the peaceful look on her face as she slept, and the way her deep red tresses fell over her face. Trenton lightly swept her hair out of her face and cradled her jaw. Then he sighed and stood up. He went back to the chair he was sitting in and plopped down in it.  
  
---  
  
Harry groaned and rubbed his back. "So tell me, Malfoy. Do you always go through this ordeal when you attempt to get dressed?"  
  
But Draco didn't answer. Harry looked up. About six or seven hooded figures with masks were staring at the four of them.  
  
Harry blinked. "My life sucks."  
  
"I believe we can put you out of your misery," a female voice said. It was Bellatrix. Because of her, Harry was devoid of his godfather.  
  
Draco stood up and strode over to them. Their eyes all looked frantic and they clearly had not expected him to walk over so calmly. The Death Eaters quickly blocked his way.  
  
"What are you doing, young Master Malfoy?" one spoke slimily.  
  
"Oh. Me? I'm looking for a girl. Yeah, you know. Really pretty. About this tall," he held his hand up just below his nose, "Schizophrenically colored hair. Green eyes. The one you are holding captive?"  
  
"We do not have her. Your father, he has her." The man's eyes glittered with malice and deceit.  
  
"Oh. I guess you're right," Draco said with a shrug. "Then you wouldn't mind if I just wander around this dungeon of a place aimlessly for a while?"  
  
Bellatrix spoke up. "Oh.. Draco dear. You cannot do that."  
  
He raised his eyebrows. "I can't?"  
  
She shook her hooded head. "You cannot."  
  
"Because.. aimless people make you twitchy?" he asked with an innocent smile.  
  
Bellatrix blinked. "Because you cannot."  
  
"Said the Death Eater who never breaks rules," Draco droned boredly.  
  
"Draco.. nephew.. why don't you just go see your father. He has the girl." Bellatrix clasped her gloved hands in front of her.  
  
Draco looked at them interestedly. "Are those the gloves my mother made for you when you were at school together?"  
  
Bellatrix shifted her weight uneasily. "Y-yes. Go on. Back to Lucius, child."  
  
"Dragon hide from under the belly, eh?" Draco continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "Yes, I remember the first pair she made for me. I was only a few months old. Gods, I had tiny little hands.."  
  
The other Death Eaters were now all staring unblinkingly at Draco. Harry, Ron, and Hermione began sneaking around them. They were in a sort of dungeon type of room, alike the one Harry had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve.  
  
"My mother still has them. What was it she called them.. beevo-- beevey--" Draco said feigning thought.  
  
"Beevums?" Bellatrix said.  
  
"That's the one!" Draco called, pointing a finger at her. "Beevums! She called them my 'wittle beevums.' Haven't a clue what it means. I guess it is supposed to be cute or something."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued down a torch-lit hallway. They heard someone then; the shuffling of feet.. and someone's presence not far away. Their pace quickened.  
  
---  
  
"And ONE time she even made my father sing me to sleep. He was into country music at the time. I remember because he kept having trouble with the word 'ya'll'. Kept on saying yale or yell. Once, when I was about 10, he fell off a broomstick and landed in the lake on our manor's grounds. He chased after me for hours trying to put a memory charm on me. Finally I just pretended I hadn't seen it and he figured that one of his spells hit me. Heh.. little does he know.." Draco had all of the Death Eaters sitting in a circle around him. Some of them shifted uncomfortably, perhaps afraid that this new information about Lucius would get them cursed into next year. None of them seemed to notice that the three other children had disappeared.  
  
---  
  
"This way," Harry whispered.  
  
They wound their way into stone rooms full of cells. They were all empty except for buckets in the corners. Hermione cringed.  
  
"What? You've never made in a bucket before?" Ron asked with a grin.  
  
Hermione hit him in the stomach. "Quiet."  
  
"Shh. I see something." Harry lit his wand now that the torches were few. He saw someone leaning against the bars of a cell. It looked like Abby. "Abby? Is that you?"  
  
"..Harry?" came her voice. She sounded tired and sick.  
  
"Ron and Hermione are here, too. Are you all right?" he asked as he approached her.  
  
Her face was dirty and her hair was every which way. Harry couldn't believe how beautiful she still looked. He shook himself as she spoke. "I feel sick, but I'm all right. Is.. is Draco--"  
  
"He's here," Harry answered. "Having a pep talk with some of your capturers."  
  
Abby's eyes went wide.  
  
Harry laughed. "Calm down, it was just for a diversion. How do we get you out of here? Just a spell, you think?"  
  
Abby nodded. "Yeah. I don't have a wand so there is no way for me to get out. But there was another person in here who dug their way out through a crap hole. So that's how we get out."  
  
"What about Malfoy?" Ron asked. Then blinked. "Er.. I can't believe I just.. cared."  
  
"He'll be fine," Harry said. "He'll know how to get back." Harry stood back and pointed his wand at the large lock on Abby's cell. "Alohomora!" It unlocked and Abby pushed through.   
  
She wrapped her arms around Harry. "Thank you," she muttered when she let go.  
  
He managed a meek nod. Both Hermione and Ron rolled their eyes.  
  
Abby walked over to the cell across from hers. Harry pointed his wand at the lock and muttered "Alohomora!" once more. It unlocked and they pushed the iron-barred door open.   
  
Abby walked over to a corner. Instead of a bucket there was just a hole. But as they got closer, they noticed that the hole was quite big. Abby looked at them.  
  
"Are you sure we shouldn't get Draco first?" she asked, worry etched in her dirty face.  
  
"It's safer this way," Harry reassured her.  
  
Abby nodded and lowered herself into the hole. It smelled disgusting, obviously. She walked a few feet before she saw black sky above her head. She climbed out and was overly grateful to be welcomed by the breeze across her face and the cool grass beneath her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed her out.  
  
"So.. now where are we?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron looked around. "It looks like we're back in that village near Malfoy's manor."  
  
Hermione nodded. "We need to go back for them."  
  
Abby's brow furrowed. "Them?"  
  
"Yes. Ginny and Trenton are still at the manor. And maybe if we.. whisper through Draco's wardrobe he'll hear us or something," Hermione said absentmindedly.  
  
Ron's eyes suddenly grew wide. "I just realised.. Ginny.. she's alone with.. Montague." He looked about ready to faint.  
  
Hermione blinked at him. "You're so quick, Ron. Come on. Let's go get them."  
  
---  
  
"Lucius? Baking cupcakes? No way.." Bellatrix said, lightly hitting Draco on the shoulder.  
  
"Oh yes. He even named a kitten Cupcake. But then he realised how dodgy he was acting and killed it. But he buried it outside under an oak tree. And I swear I see him standing by it on countless occasions when I come home for Christmas holiday." Draco grinned and pretended to take a sip of the butterbeer one of the Death Eaters had conjured for him. He wasn't about to get himself poisoned.  
  
"Lucius had a gerbil when we were at school," said the Death Eater named Crabbe. "He accidentally stepped on it though. He was a right mess. I was the only one who knew why, though. So when he figured out that I knew he made me swear I'd never tell. Guess I'm going to get tortured later, right guys?" There was hearty murmered accord, and a few laughs.  
  
Draco was wondering whether or not the others had found Abby or not. Dammit, he thought to himself, you'd think they'd give me some kind of heads up; not just leave me in a room of Death Eaters.  
  
Bellatrix suddenly looked around. "Wait a minute. There were others with you.."  
  
"You are one quick chick," Draco said.  
  
She pointed her wand at him and muttered something. He shot backward and hit the stone wall very hard.  
  
"Ouch. Dammit, woman." He rubbed his back.  
  
"Where are they? Speak, you sneak!" There was noticable panic in her voice.  
  
"Shot at poetry. Very nice. But I don't know where they are. I think they left the way we came." He shrugged his shoulders, which hurt a bit.  
  
"Let's go," she said to the others. "And you.." she approached him. There was wickedness in her black eyes. She muttered something and Draco got an odd tingling feeling in his chest.  
  
Everything was suddenly okay.. funny, actually. Hilarious. 


	17. Temporary Insanity

She had been asleep for a while, and Trenton wondered whether or not he should wake her up. Finally he pushed himself out of his chair and kneeled down next to the couch. He placed the end of his wand on top of her head and muttered something.  
  
Ginny groaned and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled at Trenton. "Thank you."  
  
He nodded and looked at her. Something was pulling him forward. He wanted to touch her. But he didn't. Instead she pulled him up by his shirt. Trenton blinked. He was now lying next to her, inches away from her face.  
  
Ginny cuddled into his chest. She didn't seem to be aware of the oddness going on.  
  
"Ehm.. Ginny?" Trenton said in his low voice.  
  
"What?" she sighed sleepily.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"I am avoiding getting up," she said into his shirt.  
  
"Yes, I noticed that. But why am I here?"  
  
"To protect me." Ginny pulled his arm around her waist with her eyes closed.  
  
Trenton blinked. "I.. you.. we.. we shouldn't.."  
  
Ginny opened her eyes. "We aren't doing anything."  
  
"If I lie here any longer, we might be," Trenton warned.  
  
Ginny blinked up at him. Her eyes were so innocent, but the placement of her hips at the moment was not. "What do you--"  
  
Trenton put her fingers to her lips. She searched his face, which seemed to be getting closer to her own. He slid his hand down and cradled her head.  
  
"Don't," Ginny said.  
  
Trenton's brow furrowed. "Don't what?" He grinned. "We aren't doing anything."  
  
Ginny smiled.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Abby stood in the doorway staring at Ginny and Trenton.  
  
"Why.. are you so close.. to my sister...?" Ron asked rigidly.  
  
Trenton had frantically jumped off the couch and across the room. Ginny was sitting upright with her eyes wide.  
  
"Weasley, we weren't doing anything," Trenton said, regaining composure.  
  
"You were TOUCHING!" Ron shrieked.  
  
"..No we weren't," Trenton said calmly. Ron gave him a murderous glare. "Oh, you didn't mean THAT kind of touching?"  
  
"You were on the couch with MY SISTER, you.. you GIANT!" Ron hopped in the air.  
  
Harry, Hermione, and Abby were grinning.  
  
"Abby.." Trenton said. "You're all right."  
  
Abby nodded. "I'm fine."  
  
Ginny huffed and Trenton looked at her. "...You're going to let your brother eat me alive, aren't you?"  
  
Everyone was uncomfortably quiet.  
  
"Heh.. heh-heh-heh.. eheheheh.. I'm laughing cause I'm nervous." Trenton shifted. "Where's.. uhm.. where's Malfoy?"  
  
"We're going to go get him out of his closet now," Hermione answered.  
  
"He's gay? Wouldn't have guessed." Trenton shrugged.  
  
"No need to go all the way to his room," said a female voice.  
  
All six of them turned around to see Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters standing in the hallway. Then they heard something else.  
  
"Pop-dweeeee-zing-zabah-zang! Haha!"  
  
"Who is that?" Abby asked.  
  
"Move, you big coat rack. HAHA! Get it? Coat.. rack.. HAHAHAHAHA!" Draco pushed through the Death Eaters who looked extremely annoyed.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Abby, Ginny, and Trenton all stared at him. Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Oh get over it, taking the trip down the stairs with him was enough for me to strangle him with rope. Didn't have rope though. Started unclasping my bra."  
  
"Hahahaha! She kicked me down the stairs. Isn't that FUNNY?!" Draco wobbled; an unnatural looking smile on his face.  
  
Abby worriedly stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. His eyes widened happily at her. "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he squealed. "You know.. your eyes remind me of chlorophyl. Hey that rhymed!"   
  
Abby looked at the others. They were horrified by Draco's state. Each of them pocketed their wands.  
  
"So.. where is Lucius? I wish to see him." Bellatrix grinned through her mask.  
  
Draco hicupped and rolled his head freakishly on his shoulders. "Squizzawk!"  
  
Trenton walked toward Ginny who was standing by the couch and Ginny realised he was shielding her.  
  
"He was in the dungeons," Ginny said from behind Trenton. He closed his eyes tightly, then looked back at her. She glanced at him through somewhat wide eyes.  
  
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked.  
  
"You heard me. He's in the dungeons. We attacked him and then locked him in there." Ginny was shaking slightly but her face was resolute.  
  
Bellatrix's black eyes surveyed her through her mask. "A couple of kids attacked Lucius? And dragged him into the dungeons? Nice try."  
  
Ginny shook her head. "You may choose not to believe me, but that was the way of it. Now you can trust us, considering we're all pretty scared out of our minds here, or you can not. Although it is easier to just believe us."  
  
Bellatrix gave her an odd sort of look. "I know who you are..." she started. "Yes. You're one of the Weasleys. I believe our families are rather interconnected. Although, you are traitors to your bloodline. But you.. yes, I know you from something else. You opened the Chamber of Secrets. You were Tom's toy. Perhaps you aren't at all like your family.."  
  
Clearly, Bellatrix did not know the full story. Ginny had been possessed. She did not do these things because she wanted to. But perhaps she could pretend.  
  
Ginny grinned. "Yes. It was, indeed, I who opened the Chamber in my first year. My life's seemed a bit.. empty without Tom Riddle."  
  
Trenton looked at her. He understood what she was doing, but for some reason it made his stomach tumble repeatedly inside of him.  
  
Ginny smiled, almost sickly. "Shall I lead the way?"  
  
Bellatrix returned the facial expression. "Please, Miss Weasley."  
  
Ginny strode to the place where the stones slid to reveal the dungeons. She got down onto her knees and pressed on the stone slabs. The third one opened to her touch. The entrance was now revealed. She stood up and faced Bellatrix, her classmates, and the other Death Eaters.  
  
"I am sure you do not trust me enough to have my wand out. But the passage is very dark. Lucius is in the second to last cell on the left. Would you and your.. friends.. like to go first?" Ginny hid a shudder.  
  
Bellatrix grinned. "I would like that, yes." She beckoned the Death Eaters to follow her. Stepping down onto the first step, she lit her wand and proceeded downward. Then she stopped and faced Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Trenton, and Abby. "You will stay behind us, or I will kill you. I doubt Lucius will miss his son very much. He is a disappointment."  
  
She proceeded downward. The Death Eaters followed, and then Ginny began to go down as well. Trenton grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked in a harsh whisper.  
  
"I'm going to get rid of them," she said simply.  
  
He let her shoulder go and watched as she stepped down into the passage. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went in after her. Trenton looked at Abby. Draco was absentmindedly sniffing the wall.  
  
"Rubber ducky, you're the one!" He began slamming his head into a large heavy picture frame. Abby grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over.  
  
Trenton looked down at her. "Want me to go behind you?"  
  
She grinned at him. "You better not mean that the way you're used to."  
  
She went down into the passage pulling Draco.  
  
"You know, this place is veeeeeery dark, mmhmm. Did you know, that.. uh.. what is your name? Sheeba? Arthur? Naki-naki-tutu? GARFUNKEL--"  
  
Abby cut him off by cupping his mouth with her hand.  
  
Hermione looked back, then she waited up for them. "I can reverse the spell on him," she whispered. She held out her wand and quietly muttered "Finite Incantatem!"  
  
Draco wobbled. Abby swung an arm around his back. He shook his head, and then realised who was standing next to him. "Abby.." he breathed.  
  
"Shh." Abby looked dirty and stressed. "You need to pretend you're insane."  
  
Draco blinked at her in the dim light. "..I'm sorry, what?" he asked quietly.  
  
"We just removed a spell they had on you. You acted like an oblivious little kid. Just.. pretend the spell is still on you when they look at you."  
  
Draco looked ahead of them. He saw silhouettes of the Death Eaters just barely. He nodded his head, understanding.  
  
"How far down is it, Miss Weasley?" Bellatrix called.   
  
"Not far now," Ginny answered. "He was unconscious when we brought him here. He might be awake now. Try calling for him?"  
  
Bellatrix let out a shrill "LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCIUSSSSSSSSSSSS! Can you HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?"  
  
Draco held his head. "Gods, woman," he muttered.  
  
Abby elbowed him. He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "You're shameless."  
  
"You know what's great at getting rid of headaches?" he whispered.  
  
"Getting hit on the head with a bat?" She retorted quietly.  
  
Draco grinned. "You want me."  
  
"Quiet, one of them is looking back at us."  
  
Draco did jumping jacks.  
  
Abby looked at him blankly. "...I've never wanted you more."  
  
Bellatrix stopped. One of the Death Eaters tripped and fell onto the stone floor.  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Graceful."  
  
Bellatrix spun around and glared at him. Then she faced forward again. "He must still be unconscious. And this is the second to last cell on the left."  
  
One of the Death Eaters tapped her on her shoulder. "Bella.. that's your right."  
  
She shifted. "Oh."  
  
Hermione snorted quietly. Bellatrix opened the cell door by magic and stepped inside.   
  
"Miss Weasley, please come in here with me," Bellatrix called.  
  
Ginny started forward. Harry crossed his arms. "Afraid of the dark, Lestrange?"  
  
Bellatrix squinted at him. "As a precaution. If this is a trick, then Ginny will be stuck with me. And I will kill her."  
  
"You say that often. Is that your mantra?" Harry asked.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
She kicked a body with her foot. It didn't make a movement. She proceeded to the next lump of human. Ginny looked around the cell with half-closed eyes. The stench was getting to her again, and the sight was just too horrific for her to look at calmly.  
  
The Death Eaters filed in as well. They began lighting their wands and looking for Lucius. Ginny took this as an opportunity to get out of the cell. She inched towards the door and all of a sudden, Trenton had her by the arm and yanked her out. Draco slammed the cell door closed, and began to repel the spells that the Death Eaters and Bellatrix were shooting towards them. He muttered a spell that would make even the most complex spell unable to open the cell. All seven were running as fast as they could down the corridor. Green light was filling the passage, but the Death Eaters were unable to get out. Ginny was the last one out before Draco, and as she ran up the stairs and into the house she tripped. There was a loud crack and a small gasp. Her left leg was broken. Trenton flew forward, but Draco was quicker. He muttered a spell and she floated as though on a stretcher.  
  
The others surrounded Ginny. Abby stood next to Draco and held onto his arm. "We need to get back."  
  
"Draco, you took floo powder directly into your house, correct?" Trenton said.  
  
Draco nodded. "But it only works from one room, and that's where my father is. I'm sure he's up by now. We're better off going out the front door. But.. this manor has a spell on it. It will stop anyone from leaving if they've betrayed my father. Stole something, and the like. We could get killed just leaving."  
  
Abby shook her head. "There's another way. Follow me."  
  
The others followed her. Trenton directed Ginny with his wand. They ran up the steps of the grande staircase and went to the left. Then they turned into Draco's room.  
  
He grinned at her back. "So this really is your answer to everything?"  
  
She turned around and gave him a smug look. "I liked you better when you were insane. Anyway, isn't this the way you got to me?"  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco nodded. But Draco, who didn't know how they got out the first time, didn't understand how going into another dungeon place would help. "But how do we get OUT of THERE, hmm?"  
  
Abby shook her head. "We got out of there a different way last time. That's not the problem..."  
  
She opened the wardrobe without warning. Abby, Draco, and Harry had been sucked in. A moment later, Ron, Hermione, Trenton and the floating whimpering Ginny appeared with them. Trenton brushed the hair off of Ginny's sweaty forehead and kissed it.  
  
He looked at her. "You'll be all right."  
  
She nodded and closed her eyes tightly. The pain in her leg was searing.  
  
Abby led the six of them down the corridor leading to the cells. When she approached the cell with their way out Draco grabbed her by the shoulder.  
  
"Just curious. You made it sound as though there was a problem?" He raised his eyebrows at her.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione grinned.  
  
"Well.." Abby started. "The problem is.. getting you to go through with this."  
  
Draco looked between faces. "What?"  
  
"We escaped through a crap hole."  
  
Draco blinked. "Well visit me when I'm a skeleton, won't you?" He leaned against the bars of a cell.  
  
Hermione snorted. "Oh come on, Malfoy. It's just a bit of--"  
  
"Feces?" Draco said interrupting her. "You're all sick."  
  
"You haven't mentioned how much we smell, yet," Abby said crossing her arms.  
  
"Oh, I was just being nice to YOU, Abby. I told the Wonder Trio over here how much they stunk when we were coming up the stairs." He grinned.  
  
"Fine then. You'll just have to stay here and wait for someone sweet-smelling to save you with a shiny claw-footed bathtub. G'day." Abby smiled and lowered herself into the crap hole. Harry, Ron, Hermione, followed her out. Trenton pulled Ginny vertical to him and lowered the both of them inside. When they were all out, they waited to see if Draco was behind them.  
  
"Bugger. Bugger bugger bugger. Shit, fuck, damn, fuck, fuckfuckfuck. This is disgusting. I won't do this. I won't." Draco stepped towards the crap hole and lowered himself in. "This is unhygenic. I'm going to get blemishes all over my body. This is sick. This is gross. This is wrong. This is-- THANK GOD! I SEE THE SKY!"  
  
Draco pulled himself out and frantically wiped himself off. The rest of them laughed. He looked up.  
  
"Shut up. And where are we?"   
  
"Not far from the store we came here from in the first place," Harry said.  
  
"Oh. Right. I should have know that. I mean.. I DID know that. Heh.. let's go," Draco muttered and stalked towards the door of a shop.  
  
"Ehm.. Draco? Wrong shop." It was Trenton, and he was grinning. He smashed the glass in a different door, and unlocked it from the inside.  
  
Hermione blinked at him. "You're a wizard, Montague. Use your wand."  
  
He grinned. "That's usually my motto..."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped inside as Trenton held the door for her. Ginny floated in, and the rest followed. They stepped up to the fireplace, each grabbing floo powder and repeating "Seventh Year Slytherin Boys' Dormitory." Trenton and Ginny were the only ones left.  
  
"You're going to need to hold onto me really tightly, all right?" he said to her.  
  
She nodded and he pulled her vertically and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. She did the same. He stepped into the fireplace and they were gone. 


	18. Glisten

Draco and Abby hadn't truly had a moment alone together for a long time. It was almost awkward after Abby had thanked everyone profusely, given them all hugs, and watched them leave to take Ginny to the infirmary. Abby was hanging out of Draco's door watching their retreating backs. Draco found himself staring at her as she did so. When she turned to him, he jumped, but wasn't sure why.  
  
"Thank you, Draco."  
  
Draco wasn't good with this sort of thing. There were a lot of things he was good at.. this just wasn't one of them. Same held true for apologies. He wasn't exactly sure how those worked either, considering he wasn't sure if he'd ever apologised and meant it. But Abby was smiling at him, and though she was covered in substances that made his stomach churn and bubble, he was suddenly calmed.  
  
"You're dirty, Abby," he said with a grin.  
  
"And you're sweating," she retorted with a smirk that Draco liked to think she'd gotten from him.  
  
He wrinkled his nose. "I do not sweat. I.. glisten."  
  
Abby laughed softly. "Then you are glistening like a bloody pig. I'm going to go take a shower."  
  
Draco had blinked. Abby left so quickly. What was that? He stood there for a good five minutes. Dirty. Sweaty. Glistening. Pigs. Shower. Hard-on and no one to use it on. This was a pressing problem. Draco strode out of his dormitory and down to the common room. He stopped, and a grin played across his face. If he knew Abby as well as he figured he knew her, she would not have been so cold as to shower in her own dormitory. Draco turned and went towards the boys' lavatory. He opened the door.  
  
No water ran. Nobody was visible. He heard nothing. Perhaps he didn't know Abby as well as he'd thought. Then again there was the girls' lavatory. But why on earth would she go in there?   
  
...  
  
Oh, right. Draco shrugged and opened the door to the girls' bathroom. Sure enough, he heard water running. He grinned again and stepped inside. He walked along until he found where Abby was. He ripped open the curtain. There was an ear-shattering scream.  
  
It was not Abby.  
  
Draco's eyes went wide and he shut the curtain quickly. Abby's head popped out three showers away. She reached up to grab a towel and she wrapped it around her, turning off the spigot and running over to Draco. He looked down at her. There was soap all over her still.  
  
"I uhm.. got the wrong shower," he said, blinkingly. "That was the most sex Pansy's ever gotten out of me."  
  
Abby smiled and took his hand. She led him out of the girls' bathroom.  
  
"But you're covered in suds.." Draco said, his brow furrowed.  
  
Abby ducked into the boys' lavatory. Ahh, Draco thought, cheers. Abby swung Draco around and pushed him into a shower. His clothed back hit the tiled wall, and he couldn't supress his grin. Abby didn't come in though.  
  
"Abby.. what are you doing?" he asked her impatiently.  
  
"Well.. I'm sudsy, yes. But I'm cleaner than you. Take off your clothes. Wash yourself a little. Then we'll see." She sighed. "Please tell me you have another one of those dusters. I rather fancy it."  
  
"And what is under it," Draco added as he frantically removed his shoes.  
  
"That goes without saying, you self-centered Prince of Darkness."  
  
"..Of whom you wish to lust over?" Draco added again, already working the last two layers of clothing off of himself; his pants and boxers.  
  
"You're losing points for this," Abby said, her arms crossed over her chest. Draco raised his eyebrows and wrenched the shower curtain closed. Abby grinned at the hangings for a while. "Is this your idea of the element of surprise? Because as alarming as your body shape is, I've seen it befo-- EEP!"  
  
Draco had shot his hand out and pulled Abby inside. She had not at all expected it, as much as she'd like to believe it. He was much cleaner, she noticed. His hair was so light that it was almost transparent against his wet forehead. Beads of water washed down his chest and Abby smiled.  
  
"You were saying about the element of surprise?" Draco said, a blonde brow raised.  
  
Abby squinted at him. "You made my towel all wet."  
  
"I am going to skip the innuendo dangerously sitting on my tongue and just do what I've been wanting to do for a while now." And he kissed her.  
  
Of all of the times their lips had touched, this had to be the most intense kiss they'd ever shared. Draco spun around and pushed Abby into the wall, pulling off her towel. Abby pushed his face into hers hungrily, and the sudden feeling of his skin against hers was enough to make her melt.  
  
Draco's hands slid up and down her sides and he pushed himself against her. He found himself kissing any part of her that his lips came against. Her lips, her chin, her jaw, her nose, her cheek, her ear, her eyelids, her forehead. They all became even more familiar with the precious skin of his lips.  
  
Abby's hand slid down his chest and down to his member. Draco shuddered. But he was so starved of her that he couldn't wait. Foreplay was only a distraction at the moment. He lifted Abby's leg around his waist and pushed his hard shaft inside of her. The warmth of her was overwhelming. He'd missed being with her to such an extent that just the act of going inside of her almost made him lose it. He shook himself mentally, and kissed her on the mouth. Her tongue welcomed his, but as she shuddered, she pulled back from his face. He rested his forehead against hers and slowly pushed his hips into hers.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice low and barely a whisper, but full of a sentiment that Abby wasn't used to.  
  
She nodded. Truthfully, she was fine. Draco gave her such a feeling in her chest that it hurt at times. No one was like him. Not a person in the world. And that was what she was so drawn to. She kissed him again, and pushed her hips against his. Draco groaned. His eyes closed and he rested his head on her shoulder, pounding her small frame into the tiled wall. It didn't hurt her at all. Instead she leaned her head back against it and moaned. The sound was so perfect to Draco that he had to open his eyes and look at her. He didn't want her sounds to stop. His hands, that had been gripping her hips, were now sliding to her arse. He squeezed and pushed her against him harder. He felt himself slide into her more, and she clenched him. Abby squeaked, her eyes closed, and felt a warmth spread through her.  
  
Draco licked at her lips, but he knew it would be over soon. He could feel himself throb within her, and he'd felt a tug at his cock. Abby was alternately contracting and tightening around him, and a loud moan of Draco's name had signaled his own coming. "Aurgh.." was the basic extent of his vocabulary.  
  
Draco and Abby's breath mingled between them. Kissing her seemed such a tiring task, and yet so rewarding. Sliding out of her, and holding her tight to him, he rested his forehead against her own. Her green eyes bore into his icy gray ones, and what words were unspoken were communicated through this one look.  
  
Perhaps showering was fruitless, considering Draco and Abby only got sweaty in Draco's bed later on.   
  
Abby shivered. Draco had all of the covers. She reached over and pulled them off of him and onto her. She grinned in the darkness waiting for his reaction. Finally, one came.  
  
"Abby.." Draco said desirably in his half-sleep, wrapping an arm around her from behind.  
  
Perhaps, Abby thought, he'd changed a little, and would sacrifice his precious sheets.  
  
Draco kissed the back of her neck. "..Give me back the damn covers," and he tugged them back onto him.  
  
Or not.  
  
But Abby laughed, as did Draco. It wasn't a sound Abby was used to hearing, but she liked it. She turned over on her other side and faced him.  
  
"You're a schmuck," she said softly.  
  
Draco kept his face blank as he covered Abby with sheets and his 'fluffy' blanket. Not fluffy. Not fluffy. Not fluffy. "I know," he murmered and kissed her lips softly. "And you're my lovely wench."  
  
---  
  
"Mr. Montague," Madam Pomfrey said the next morning. "You've been here all night. She might not wake up for a while. Why don't you get some rest?"  
  
Trenton shook his head. "I'd rather just be here with her, if you don't mind."  
  
Madam Pomfrey hid a grin as she walked behind a curtain with another patient. Trenton couldn't tell who it was, but it didn't seem like a student. He looked down at Ginny, who was now clean and dressed in striped pajamas. Suddenly she shifted. Trenton took her small hand in hers and watched her eyes flutter open.  
  
"Trenton.. what? What are you doing here?" Ginny asked.  
  
He wasn't sure how to answer her. "I wanted to see if you felt better. How's your leg?"  
  
Ginny nodded. "It's all right. ..How long have you been here?"  
  
Trenton stared at her. The way his eyes were pleading with her, she knew. He'd stayed the whole night. Trenton leaned over her and pressed his lips against her cheek. It sent chills throughout her whole body. When he went to move away she grabbed his shoulder. He looked deeply into her muddy brown eyes. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. And so he did.  
  
"MontaGUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" screamed Madam Pomfrey. She was stalking towards them, the curtain behind her now open, revealing the person behind it.  
  
Trenton and Ginny had broken apart. They were both staring open-mouthed behind Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"...What is it?" she asked, suddenly startled by them.  
  
Trenton blinked. "Professor Snape? Is that.. lipstick on your face?"  
  
Snape glared for a moment, then his face softened (or at least what might be considered soft for Snape). "Ehh. What the hell. I'm not in a pissy mood any more. Be glad."  
  
Madam Pomfrey forgot about yelling at Trenton and Ginny and shifted uncomfortably. Then she hid herself behind the curtain with Snape once more.  
  
Trenton and Ginny smiled at one another. He sat down on the side of her bed and moved a lock of hair out of her face. Then he leaned into her face, but didn't kiss her.  
  
"You've moved me."  
  
This time Ginny initiated their passionate kiss.  
  
---  
  
"Ron, Ginny's awake. But you might want to wait before you go in to see her," Hermione warned.  
  
"Why's that?" he asked.  
  
"Because there is a Slytherin plastered to her face," Harry chimed in.  
  
Hermione hit him hard in the stomach. Ron's eyes were wide.  
  
"Now, Ron. Calm down. They make quite the cute couple." Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yes. The Slytherin Sex Addict and my innocent little sister are a perfect match, no doubt." Ron glared at Hermione, who rolled her eyes and looked at Harry.  
  
"How are you anyways?" she asked him with pure concern.  
  
He took a deep sigh. "I'm all right. For once I've lost something to Malfoy and.. and I'm okay with it."  
  
Hermione smiled. "I'm proud of you, Harry."  
  
"Really? I hate me."  
  
Ron gave a nervous laugh. "I'm going to kill Montague."  
  
"Oh please, Ron. Worse you'd do would be to poke him in the side with a stick. Besides, he cares for Ginny. Couldn't you tell?" Hermione raised her eyebrows inquisitively.  
  
Ron muttered to himself. "So I shouldn't go with the stick thing?"  
  
Hermione looked at Harry, who snickered. "He'll get over it soon enough."  
  
"IIIIIIIIIIIIII'M GOING TO KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!!!"  
  
"...Could be wrong." 


	19. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship

Trenton had left a few hours ago, and Ginny sat upright in the infirmary cot. Her leg was now healed, and she was avoiding eating a new concoction that Madam Pomfrey had recently discovered. She had been happily telling Ginny, her only patient, how she was excited about her new cooking/potion making techniques. Okay, Ginny thought. She could understand how Snape could have introduced her to a whole new side of potion making.. but cooking? Pondering this made her head hurt. The concoction was called Pepper Up Pudding. It tasted just like the Pepper Up Potion.. only the combination was so odd that Ginny couldn't stand to eat it. Instead she just stared. She stared for a long.. long.. long, time.  
  
Until, of course, Ron came to visit. He was visibly rigid, and the corneas of his eyes were almost pink.  
  
"Ginny Weasley," he stated plainly.  
  
Ginny gave Ron a swift look up and down and smirked. "Aunt Rose."  
  
Ron spluttered. "What?! Who?"  
  
"You look like Aunt Rose. Minus the plaid blouse and striped trousers, of course. But you've definately got the arthritic and insomniac look down. Cheers, Ronald!" Ginny poked her pudding with her spoon. Freakishly enough, it jiggled.  
  
Ron glared. "I do NOT," he seethed, "look like Aunt Rose. Besides, I am worried."  
  
Ginny looked up, fiery red curls falling into her face. "What?"  
  
"About you," he simpered, seating himself at the foot of her bed. "I mean.. you've had that manipulative Slytherin around you for a long period of time. And you might have hit your head when you fell--"  
  
Ginny's pupils dilated. "WHAT?! Ron, I broke my leg, I didn't lose my sanity. And manipulative? Trenton?"  
  
"Montague," Ron said acidly, "is the most dangerous, scabrous, unchivalrous, creep of a male that I've ever had the displeasure of attending the same school as."  
  
Ginny could feel herself shaking. Her fingernails were digging into her palms, and the small hairs on the back of her neck were prickling. "He. Is. Not. You think.. that just because he's in Slytherin house, that he is a complete scoundrel? You think he watched over me, and helped me sleep, and made sure I got out of there safe, all so he could have a quick shag later? You would think that, wouldn't you! For once, can you stop pretending to be the protective older brother who has no bloody clue what he's talking about?! People CHANGE, Ron. I know that your image of Slytherins is a grimy, snobby fuckwit, but Trenton isn't."  
  
"How can you be so sure, Gin? What if it's all an act! He may not even like you for the reasons you think!" Ron immediately regretted what he'd said. He was standing now, but he didn't remember when he'd gotten like that.  
  
Ginny stared at him, completely and utterly hurt. "It's comforting to know that you find your sister a personality-less toad with nothing better to do than act the part of a damsel. Fuck the hell off, Ron."  
  
Ron had nothing to say to that. He did what he knew she wanted him to do, and left. He knew he should apologise, but he still loathed Montague. His pride was eating at him. He nodded, and turned to leave. Ginny didn't stop him.  
  
---  
  
Trenton, Draco, and Abby were sitting in the common room. It was late now, and Abby had her legs across Draco's lap, her back resting against the armrest of the couch. Trenton was seated in the puffy old recliner.  
  
"There's a match tomorrow," Draco said to no one in particular.  
  
"Mm," Abby mumbled.  
  
"Going to let your girlfriend win, are you?" said Trenton with a grin.  
  
Draco rubbed Abby's legs, and looked up at Trenton. "Definately not," he answered, and then a grin played across his face. "What about you?"  
  
Trenton looked down. "I wouldn't call Ginny my girlfriend. Perhaps I'd.. like to. I just want to know what she wants. I really know nothing about her."  
  
Abby and Draco exchanged glances. Draco grinned. "Abby's favorite color is.. uhm.. blue."  
  
Abby smiled. "Wrong. Green."  
  
Draco smirked and looked at Trenton again. "See? We hardly know a thing about one another."  
  
Trenton sighed. "Not exactly what I meant. Miss your own common room, Ab?"  
  
"Yes," she said truthfully, and Draco spun back to look at her.  
  
"What? You do?" He was slightly skeptical.  
  
Abby smiled, and kissed him softly on the mouth. "Yes, I do."  
  
He looked almost hurt. Except he didn't really, because a Malfoy never looks hurt. "Why?"  
  
"It's warmer," she said simply.  
  
Draco smirked. "You find my dormitory rather warm--"  
  
"Enough," Abby laughed. "And it isn't like I'd ever expect you to come to MY dorm."  
  
"Right-o. I won't set foot in there if my life depends on it." Draco went back to stroking her legs innocently.  
  
"I need to go back to my dormitory tonight though."  
  
Draco's eyes widened, as though the thought of sleeping alone would kill him. "Why?"  
  
"We've got a game tomorrow and I need to rest."  
  
Draco just stared at her. "I have a bed?"  
  
"Yes, love. We just don't sleep in it."  
  
Draco grinned. "Fine. Just don't get used to it."  
  
Trenton laughed; then sighed. "Gods, I want to see her."  
  
Draco looked at him. "I've never seen you like this. I think I might be getting a bit sick."  
  
Trenton ignored Draco and stood up. "I'll be back later. G'night Abby." And he left.  
  
---  
  
The corridors were dark, and almost damp. The torches on the wall cast an eerie glow along the stone walls, but hardly were fruitful, as the corridor was almost too dark to walk through. Trenton was grateful, however, when he reached the Entrance Hall, and took a corridor that lead to the hospital wing. It was lighter, even though it was night, and the crossed panes of glass in the windows flooded darkness.   
  
I'm going to wake her, he thought, it's late.   
  
He shook his head. He had to see her. Trenton had never felt this way in his life, but rather than being scared of it, he wanted to chase it. See what it was about. Live it. Love it.  
  
And he did.  
  
It was insane; maniacal, even. The thought of having feelings for a girl he didn't really know, a girl who did things to him by just smiling, a girl who he wanted to get to know better. She had a brother who would disapprove so greatly, but that didn't matter. He'd just deck him. NO HE WOULDN'T! No. No, he can't deck the brother. He repeated this in his head more than he could count.  
  
The infirmary came closer, and Trenton was relieved. But suddenly he didn't know what he was going to say to her. 'Hello, Ginny, I can't stop thinking about you.' 'I'm crazy about you.' 'I want to be with you. I want to make you happy. I want to be the reason you smile, like you're the reason I do.'  
  
Yes. Trenton really is romantic. He just hides it well when he feels he has to.  
  
He stopped before he reached the doors, and took a breath. He didn't have anything to offer her, but he didn't think she seemed like the kind of girl to throw a guy out if he didn't bring her a flower.. or twelve. He took a deep breath and stepped through the doors, his heart doing things he didn't think capable. His eyes glazed with an insanity he didn't know what normal. And he set his gaze on her bed.  
  
The bed that she wasn't in.  
  
---  
  
Hermione was alight with ecstatic energy. "You were both so amazing out there!" she said and gave each boy a kiss on the cheek. Ron reddened, as usual, and Harry just beamed at her. He liked her like this. When she wasn't stressed or bossy or dominating. Just happy. But it was rather rare.  
  
Abby looked, if possible, more excited than all of them put together. She'd hugged Harry, Ron, Ginny, and every other team member, along with random underclassmen who came running up to cheer for them. It was great to win at Quidditch.  
  
Ginny looked happy, but wholly distracted. She was staring at the sulky Slytherin team, and she was sure she'd seen the back of Trenton's head as he walked into their locker room. Ron noticed this at once.  
  
"Ginny! Ginny, wait!" he called, and charged after her.  
  
Ginny turned, and stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What, Ron?"  
  
"I'm sorry.." he panted.   
  
Ginny blinked. "You.. are? Because, Ron, the last thing I need is you being sorry, but still hate him."  
  
"I don't hate him! I don't.. I don't hate him. He makes you happy. But if he ever does anything to hurt you I'll--"  
  
"Let me handle it?" Ginny interjected. "Yes. You'll let me handle it." She threw her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly. Ron hadn't expected this at all, but he was thankful, and hugged her back. "I'm sorry too, you know. I know you'd never think I was.. well, whatever the hell I exploded about." She let go. "But now I have to go find someone."  
  
Ron gave a small smile. "All right. Good luck. And Ginny?"  
  
"Yes?" she said, suddenly looking less impatient.  
  
"I know you can handle it."  
  
Ginny smiled back at him before running towards the Slytherin locker room, and opening the doors. She charged inside.  
  
"DEAR MERLIN!"  
  
Lots of boys changing. She goggled, and Draco stepped forward, a towel wrapped around his waist. He'd clearly already taken a quick shower, as droplets bejeweled his chest.  
  
"I.. I.." Ginny unsuccessfully stuttered.  
  
"Yes. You are in a boys locker room. A Slytherin one. Yeah, yeah. 'Wow! You all are pretty built! Who'd have thought!?' We don't need to be degraded much more today, thanks. Now what is it that you want?" Draco finished with a smirk.  
  
"Where's Trenton?" she squeaked.  
  
Draco shrugged. "The changing rooms are pretty big. Or he could be in the shower, in which case, he'll be delighted to see you."  
  
Ginny grinned, despite herself. "Not that he hasn't already made himself a public exhibition.. but I'll have to be careful when looking around corners, won't I?"  
  
"Doubt you will," he said with a smirk. "Where's Abby?"  
  
"Out there, hugging anything that breathes," Ginny said happily.  
  
Draco's eyes widened. "I better make her feel sorry for me. You know.. losing and all."  
  
Ginny grinned and watching him as he left. Surprising.. how Draco wasn't the same pestering 12 year old anymore. Sure, he still disliked Harry a great deal, but they were able to stand eachother. That was quite a huge step.  
  
Ginny was lost in thought as she wandered through the locker room. It really was big. Bigger even than the Gryffindor one. Perhaps Salazar was compensating.   
  
Then she saw him. He was wearing.. boxers. Well. It was a locker room! Of course he was changing. He was facing the opposite direction, and he seemingly hadn't heard her. His back was muscular, and he had more colour than Draco. His broad shoulders and torso led into a more narrow waist, and he hadn't seemed to have showered yet. Trenton grabbed a towel and was about to remove his boxers when--  
  
"Trenton," Ginny said.  
  
She had startled him, and he jumped up and spun around like a guilty child stealing cookies before dinner. His chest was absolutely gorgeous. His muscles were a lot more noticable than Draco's, but still subtle enough to want to touch. He seemed to be breathing much more heavily all of a sudden. "Ginny.." he breathed once he saw her. "I.. I came to see you last night, but you'd left the hospital wing."  
  
Ginny smiled and took a few steps toward him. "I know, I wanted to see you as well, but Harry and Hermione wanted to talk to me. I was pretty much avoiding Ron."  
  
Trenton's sweaty brow creased. "He doesn't like me much, eh?"  
  
Ginny smiled. "Maybe he doesn't," she said, and stepped closer to him, so that she was right in front of him, looking up at his face. He was much taller than her. "But I do."  
  
Trenton couldn't stop himself. He bent down and kissed her, wrapping his powerful, though gentle, arms around her. He pulled her against him, and was relieved as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Forgetting himself for a moment, he spun her around, and pushed her against the hard lockers. He was passionate in the way he kissed her, and the feel of her beautiful small lips touching his was more than he could stand. How he could have ever been without her was unknown to him. Sometimes being with her was a foreign land he had never been, and felt almost lost in. But other times, he felt right at home. His body pressed against hers, and her mouth opened wider as his tongue explored her mouth. He made a sound a lot like a grunt as he kissed her, and she cried out.   
  
He stopped kissing her immediately. "Are you all right? Did I hurt you? Was I.. too rough?"  
  
Ginny stared at him. He was so skeptical all of a sudden. "One of the locks.. dug into my back." She smiled.  
  
Cradling her face, he kissed her again, softly. He pulled back a little and smiled at her. "How in bloody hell could you kiss me. I smell so bad I'm bothering myself."  
  
Ginny grinned. "That's easy," she said. "Six brothers. Okay, well five if you don't count Percy. He never got sweaty. Oh, except when he was studying."  
  
Trenton laughed. The sound was masculine, and adorable at the same time. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Will you wait for me?"  
  
"Of course," she said, and stood on her toes to kiss him quickly on the mouth.  
  
---  
  
Draco tapped on Abby's shoulder, and smiled placidly when she turned to face him. "Hello, pet."  
  
Abby grinned. "We beat you. Doubt you're surprised though, eh?"  
  
Draco smirked. "Of course I'm surprised. With a shit team like yours, who'd have thought?"  
  
Abby pinched his side and grinned. "Shut up."  
  
"Only if you make me," he said, grinning back at her.  
  
Abby looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't want to make you," she said finally, a twinkle in her green eyes.  
  
Blinking, Draco took her hand and drew her closer. "No, you have to make me."  
  
"Having a problem with the word 'no,' Draco?" she asked, feigning seriousness.   
  
He whimpered, and somehow it still managed to sound manly. "Yes, I am... Shut me up, Abby." Draco cradled her jaw and ran his thumb over her soft lips. "Use those."   
  
Abby smiled at him. His hair was wet from his recent shower, and Abby was still dirty from the game. He looked gorgeous. He certainly had that fallen angel look about him. And usually after a night in his dormitory he looked like a fallen angel that had bounced a whole hell of a lot on the way down. Still beautiful. "I'm not going to kiss you."  
  
Draco's eyes were wide. "And what is your excuse?"  
  
"My family is standing behind you."  
  
He jumped, almost as gracefully as a cat, to Abby's side. His eyes were wide with horror. ..And then, as though he'd gone from terrified to ecstatic, his eyes could have turned into stars.  
  
"Aiden Lynch! ..I mean, nice to meet you.. uhm.. Lynches." Draco went back into his look of terror. Lynches? What the hell was wrong with him?  
  
Abby grinned. "Dad, Mum, Aiden, this is Draco Malfoy."  
  
Abby's father reached out his hand and Draco, looking lost, stared at it. Her father pat him on the shoulder instead. "Don't be nervous, son."  
  
If Draco Malfoy was capable of fainting, this might be the time he would. He was just called son.   
  
"Sorry, sir," he said finally. "Did you.. enjoy the game?"  
  
"You were right amazing," Aiden said, and this probably shocked Draco the most.  
  
"But my team lost.." Draco started.  
  
"You are still an amazing Seeker. Harry Potter is great too, but he won't win EVERY time. You played a great game." Aiden looked at Abby and then picked her up. "And you did great, too!"  
  
Abby squeaked, then laughed. "Bah! Aiden, put me down!" But she didn't seem to mind, because she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I've missed all of you."  
  
Aiden laughed and put her down next to Draco, who was lucky he didn't have a big brother at the moment. "We've missed you too, Abby Normal."  
  
Draco smirked and looked at her. He knew she saw him, but she avoided looking at him. After a few more moments of Abby speaking to her parents, they decided to take a look around the grounds. In a second of complete and utterly surprising sincerety, Draco told them that he and Abby wouldn't mind showing them around. Aiden grinned at him, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Just have your kiss with my sister, mate," he said, and winked at Abby, who blushed noticably.  
  
When they left, Draco turned to her, a huge grin on his face. "I just made a complete fool of myself."  
  
"No you didn't," Abby said, smiling. "They liked you, trust me. Last boyfriend was a complete bloke to them."  
  
"Worse than me? ...There is a WORSE THAN ME?!"  
  
Abby smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands found her lower back. "Did your ego just implode, darling?"  
  
Draco looked over her face for a moment. She was truly one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever set eyes on. "No, I think my ego's just fine."   
  
She finally gave him his kiss.  
  
---  
  
Lucius moved his king, and sighed over the chessboard. Voldemort looked at him as though he were a very filthy bug. "You couldn't even smite your own son."  
  
Lucius growled. "We've had this conversation."  
  
"The one about your carelessness? The one about your foolishness? The one about turning your BACK on the enemy?" Voldemort could have continued, an action that might never have ended, but he didn't. Lucius was truly a bad smiter. He need a few refresher courses, provided by Yours Truly.  
  
"The one about how bloody tired I am of playing chess with you?" Lucius spoke through gritted teeth.  
  
Voldemort laughed. It was a chilling, hollow, high-pitched, altogether fucked up chuckle; but a laugh nonetheless. "This is your punishment."  
  
"I don't have anything but kings! Of course I'm going to lose!"  
  
"That's why this is punishment, you moronic toad. Now, Check," voldemort said proudly.  
  
"No shit, My Lord," Lucius spat. "I wonder what'll happen next?"  
  
Voldemort eyed him with his thoroughly ugly, blood-filled eyes. "Well. Aren't we the picky princess? Lucius, you realise that I am the Dark Lord."  
  
"...Is this a joke?" Lucius stared blankly at him. "Is this a fucking JOKE? Of course I know! And I'm playing chess with you! Chess that I cannot win at! You're a bloody cheater.."  
  
"One must cheat to win, sometimes." Voldemort studied his long, porcelain fingers. "You know that."  
  
Lucius bit his tongue. He wanted to tell him that he should have cheated each time he had the Potter boy in his midst.  
  
"He was protected, Lucius."  
  
Oh yeah. The stupid bloke could read minds. Fantastic.  
  
"Don't call me that," Voldemort said.  
  
Lucius slumped into his chair. This was beginning to get tiring. Wait.. beginning? No, it was tiring before it started. "What do you suppose I do?"  
  
Voldemort grinned a lipless grin. All that seemed to happen was that his skin stretched farther back onto his cheekbones, and revealed somewhat pointy, large, yellow teeth. "Well it's simple. Your son is easy to control from afar. And even so.. he'll have to come home for the summer. You'll have contact with him. But..." Voldemort stopped. His eyes seemed to flicker like a flame. "No. He won't have contact with you per se..."  
  
Lucius yawned. "With you, then?"  
  
"Shut up, you filthy worm. You proved yourself useless. I'll obviously have a bigger part this time."  
  
"Does it really even matter, My Lord? I mean.. Draco isn't going to be much use to us. He could turn out to be a traitor. And if he eventually weds that Lynch girl--"  
  
"If he eventually marries that Lynch girl," Voldemort interrupted, "she will do whatever it takes to make him happy. Eventually he will see what it is that he wants. Power. And he will pursue it. She will follow him obligingly."  
  
Voldemort fingered something by his chest. There was a gold chain around his neck, and at the end of it was a small hourglass.  
  
Lucius stared at it, utterly transfixed. "It's only a matter of time..." 


End file.
